‘You leave or we are going to kill you’: Inmate escape linked to alleged threats, Madlanga commission hears

The offender allegedly received assistance from correctional officers during both his 2022 and 2026 escapes. The escape of convicted inmate Edward Khomotso Madiba from a North West correctional facility was allegedly triggered by threats to kill him. Correctional Services national commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale made the revelation while testifying before the Madlanga commission held at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria. Thobakgale appeared before the inquiry on Thursday, 17 September 2026, as it continues to investigate allegations of criminality, corruption and political interference within law enforcement structures. Inmate rearrested after latest escape Madiba escaped from the Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng on 6 September 2026, prompting the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to launch a manhunt. Authorities recaptured him three days later at a flat in Brits. According to preliminary findings by the department, Madiba managed to escape by cutting through the burglar bars of the door to his prison cell. The inmate had been kept in a single cell because he had previously escaped from Rooigrond in 2022. At the time of his latest escape, Madiba was serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm and ammunition, kidnapping and parole violation. He has subsequently been transferred to the C-Max high-security section of Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria. Eight correctional services officials have been suspended over allegations that they helped Madiba escape. ‘Either you leave, or we are going to kill you’ Giving evidence about the circumstances surrounding Madiba’s escape, Thobakgale told the commission he personally interviewed the inmate after his recapture. This aimed to establish how Madiba allegedly received assistance from correctional officers during both his 2022 and 2026 escapes. Thobakgale explained that Madiba had been involved in court processes arising from his earlier escape and had begun identifying officials allegedly involved. This was when Madiba was allegedly confronted with a threat to his life. “They then approached him to say ‘either you leave or we are going to kill you’ and that’s how he’s saying they assisted him to escape so that they break that line of him mentioning their names during court proceedings,” the national commissioner said on Thursday. National commissioner also a potential target Prior to his revelation, Thobakgale’s testimony briefly focused on the influence that powerful inmates may have within the correctional services system. He explained that inmates often attempt to corrupt lower-ranking officials to facilitate activities inside correctional facilities, including the smuggling of contraband. The commission’s chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga, however, questioned whether such influence could extend beyond officials at correctional-centre level. “Inmates that wield a lot of influence [and] have lots of money could target even the national commissioner,” the retired judge remarked. “I would imagine the idea would be that if I influence the national commissioner, maybe there is a way in which they, that is, the national commissioner, could influence some at the level of correctional centres not to do what they should do,” Madlanga added. Thobakgale agreed that senior officials could potentially be approached or influenced by such prisoners. He cited convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester as an example of an inmate who had repeatedly attempted to secure his personal attention. “I’ve always referred him to their complaints and requests processes and always insisted that it is better if a representation is put in writing and it is then referred to accordingly.” Thobakgale further testified that he generally avoids one-on-one engagements with inmates. Direct engagement would be considered where he required information from an inmate that could potentially implicate correctional services officials, with the national commissioner using Madiba’s escape as an example.