A manhunt has been launched to locate and apprehend a convicted offender, Clatta Gumbo, who escaped from the grounds of Mamelodi Regional Hospital on Monday.
Spokesperson for Department of Correctional Services, Singabakho Nxumalo, said a widespread search operation in collaboration with other law-enforcement agencies was under way to locate and re-arrest Gumbo.
Gumbo, who was was admitted as an offender on August 28, 2018, is serving a life sentence for rape, kidnapping and assault at Baviaanspoort Correctional Centre in Tshwane.
Nxumalo said: “He was escorted to the hospital for a consultation with a dietician when he attacked the guarding official, disarmed him and escaped from the hospital premises.”
He added that immediate action was taken to initiate a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape.
“Correctional Services is appealing to anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the escapee to contact the nearest correctional facility, or a police station. Crucially, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gauteng police reported that a suspect who has been on the list of most wanted suspects was fatally wounded, during a shootout with the police in Olievenhoutbosch on Sunday while two of his accomplices were arrested.
Police said they received information about the whereabouts of the suspect who is wanted for the attempted murder of two police officers, cash-in-transit robberies, ATM bombings and murders.
“Amongst the people that he allegedly killed was a traffic police officer who was responding to an ATM bombing in Erasmia, Tshwane,”police said.
The SAPS Gauteng Tactical Response Team, SAPS Gauteng Anti-Gang Unit, Johannesburg Metro Police Department members, Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department members, Vusela Intel, SRM Security and Bravallo Aeronautics were part of the operation that tracked down the suspect.
“The team spotted the suspect, together with the other two males, driving in a white Toyota Quantum and a Hyundai i20 at Spin City in Olievenhoutbosch. As police intercepted these vehicles, the suspects started firing shots, and the police returned fire. The main suspect was fatally shot while two suspects were arrested. Two firearms with serial numbers filed off, and 26 live rounds of ammunition were recovered at the scene. The two cars, a Toyota Quantum and Hyundai i20, driven by the suspects, were seized,” police said.
Gauteng SAPS acting provincial commissioner, Major General Tommy Mthombeni, applauded the law enforcement agencies for working together to apprehend the suspects.
"Once more, it proved that the net is closing on criminals in Gauteng and that by pulling together, we can bring crime to its minimum in Gauteng," he said.
The three suspects were linked to ATM bombings that took place in Soweto recently, according to police’s preliminary investigation.
“The firearms that were recovered will be subjected to ballistic testing to determine any linkages to the commission of other crimes committed in the country,” police said.
Pretoria News
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