A KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) detective warrant officer has been arrested for allegedly helping three men escape police custody.
The officer was arrested on Friday and is due in the KwaMsane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday to face charges of aiding and abetting suspects, defeating the ends of justice and corruption.
The officer is accused of accepting a bribe to assist the suspects escape the KwaMsane police station on 27 February 2024.
The suspects are believed to have used a steel saw smuggled to them by the officer to cut through an iron roof sheet and the holding cells’ bars.
“Police investigations revealed the escape was orchestrated by a detective warrant officer who supplied them with a steel saw, allegedly after they paid him an amount of R5 000.00.
“A warrant of arrest was issued by the court and the police officer was duly arrested,” KZN police confirmed on Sunday.
One of the suspects was rearrested a month after the escape after being caught in a roadblock in Vryheid.
Correctional services escapes
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) recently confirmed the number of inmates who had escaped custody since 2022.
A reply to a written parliamentary question in March stated that 54 inmates had escaped correctional facilities in the last four years.
The Eastern and Western Capes recorded the most escapes, with 13 and 12, respectively.
Most involved assistance from DCS personnel, with rearrests occurring in at least 24 of the incidents.
An escape prevention strategy was implemented in 2024, with escapes limited to just four in the 2025-26 financial year.
The strategy involves improved training, conducting of special operations, emergency security teams in hotspots and greater inmate engagement.
“[DCS] ensures reduction of idleness amongst inmates by subjecting them to development programmes such as educational programmes, skills training, sports, recreation, arts and cultural activities,” the department stated.
