Manhunt Underway After 20-Year Inmate Escapes Rooigrond Prison For Second Time
Edward Khomotso Madiba, a convicted prisoner serving a 20-year sentence, is on the run after escaping from Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng in the North West.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said Madiba escaped on Sunday, 6 September 2026, while being held in a single cell on a further charge linked to a previous escape. Preliminary information indicates that he cut through the burglar-bar door of the cell.
Madiba is serving a 20-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm and ammunition, kidnapping, and parole violation.
This is not his first escape from Rooigrond. In March 2022, Madiba was among four inmates who escaped from the facility after cutting through cell bars and climbing out of the prison. He was later traced to Johannesburg Correctional Centre and rearrested on 19 November 2025.
DCS has launched a manhunt for Madiba and is working with other law-enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend him.
Eight correctional officials have also been served with notices of contemplation of suspension pending an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the latest escape.
Members of the public are urged not to approach Madiba if they spot him, but to immediately alert the police.
