People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) G-Force member Ebrahim Jeneker and two other Pagad members were still at large on Friday afternoon after escaping from the Cape High Court holding cells during the lunch hour on Thursday.
Police representative Captain Neville Malila confirmed that the urban terror suspects Jeneker, Faizel Samsodien and Mogamat Isaacs had still not been rearrested.
Malila said a massive police manhunt for the fugitives, launched shortly after 2.30pm on Thursday, continued on Friday. Malila said roadblocks, which were part of the operation, had been set up at several points.
He appealed to the community to help track down the men who escaped sometime between 1pm and 2.30pm. This is the second time in less than 12 months that Jeneker escaped from the holding cells using the same escape route.
The previous escape was on October 4 when Jeneker, along with six other men, overpowered a policeman, stole his firearm and were then involved in a shootout with police in city centre traffic.
They hijacked a Toyota Venture and made for the Cape Flats. Four of them including Jeneker were re-arrested within hours of the escape. Two others were recaptured within days. One of the seven, Abubakar Jacobs, is still at large.
Jeneker was facing charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery, illegal possession of explosives and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition while Isaacs was convicted on Thursday on three counts of murder. Samsodien was acquitted but is still in custody awaiting trial on other charges including murder.
Top police officials including provincial commissioner Lennit Max and safety and security MEC Leonard Ramatlakane labelled Thursday’s escape an ”inside job”.
Max said he had inspected the court holding cells and it was clear that Jeneker ”could not have escaped without assistance from within”.
The regional head of the Western Cape justice department, Hishaam Mohamed, said he was convinced the escapees had help as all three of them were supposed to have been in leg irons.
”It seems the escapees had some help from inside,” Mohamed said. ”We have called on commissioner Max to replace all those policemen who were guarding the holding cells at the Cape High Court on Thursday.”
Ramatlakane said those responsible for guarding prisoners at the court cells should have remained alert at all times.
”We will investigate the link between the escape last year and the one on Thursday,” Ramatlakane said.
He said the police who guarded the prisoners at the court cells and those in positions of authority should take full responsibility for the escape. – Sapa