Dangerous criminal escaped from a maximum security prison in South Africa by cutting through the cell door and walking out

Khomotso Madiba, a convicted offender serving a 20-year sentence, escaped from Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng on Sunday.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said that Madiba was being held in the single-cell section while facing an additional charge related to a previous escape.

Despite the facility knowing that he was prone to escape, he was still able to cut through the burglar-bar door of his cell and escape from the facility.

A manhunt is underway, and eight officials have been served with notices of contemplated suspension pending the outcome of the investigation.

Freddy Sonakile, a member of the North West Provincial Legislature, said that this was not a routine prison escape.

“A maximum-security correctional centre should be one of the most secure environments in the country,” Sonakile said.

“A repeat escapee being held in a single cell should have been subject to heightened security measures. Yet he cut his way through the cell door and walked out.”

The Department of Correctional Services launched an investigation, but he said it must establish more than who was on duty when the escape happened.

“It must determine whether deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate security equipment, and staffing shortages were to blame,” he said.

“They should also look into poor maintenance, failures in supervision or management decisions contributed to the breach.”

Sonakile said that if frontline officials have failed in their duties, they must be held accountable.

However, if systemic failures made an escape possible, accountability must extend to those responsible for the management, maintenance, and security of the facility.

He added that this escape is concerning, given the 2026 South African Human Rights Commission’s investigation into police stations and correctional centres.

This investigation, which focused on the North West, raised concerns about the condition and functioning of these state facilities.

“We will therefore not allow this incident to be treated as an isolated failure by individual officials,” he said.

Sonakile will spearhead an oversight visit to Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre in the coming week.

“The visit will assess the physical condition of the facility, security infrastructure, staffing, and operational challenges,” he said.

He highlighted that correctional facilities exist to protect the public and keep convicted offenders securely in custody.

“When the walls, doors, security systems or management of those facilities fail, the public is put at risk,” he said.