Police nab fifth prison escapee

Mpho Tshwaane | Friday January 20, 2017 10:31

 

The police arrested the fifth man, Gofamodimo Molosiwa, late Wednesday at Aerodrome location. Molosiwa is the first of the three Batswana escapees to be arrested. 

The 28-year-old Molosiwa is not new to controversy as he allegedly assaulted prosecutor Mompoloki Gaboiphiwe at the Francistown Magistrate sometime last year. The matter is still with the courts.

Molosiwa was arrested at Aerodrome location where he was found in a house with a woman suspected to be his girlfriend.

Molosiwa is expected to appear in court today (Friday) to be formally charged with an offence of unlawfully escaping from lawful custody.

At the time of his escape, Molosiwa was serving sentences for a spate of robberies.

Hours before Molosiwa’s arrest, four of his fellow escapees who were re-captured, had appeared before court on Wednesday to face a single count of escaping from legal custody. The accused were not asked to take pleas by presiding magistrate, Ishmael Molobe.

The four are Mlindeli Moyo, Sicelo Sibanda (both charged with murder), Methuli Sibanda, who is charged with unlawful possession of ivory and Godwin Mapunganyika, who faces multiple robbery charges and murder.

Three of the four men were arrested Sunday near villages surrounding Francistown.

The fourth escapee was arrested in Tutume on Tuesday. All the four men who appeared in court on Wednesday are Zimbabweans who entered the country illegally.

Early this week Police in Francistown indicated that they were at an advanced stage of arresting more of the 18 prisoners who fled custody with intelligence indicating that the fugitives were still somewhere in the city and its environs. 

The men who are still at large are, Chakalani Barati, Thabani Ncube, Musa Willy, Elvis Ndlovu, Dzikhamani Ndebele, Innocent Nyoni, Charlote Ndlovu, Ronald Moyo, Edwin Ncube, Sunganai Tafiraushe, Givemore Chaloba, Brilliant Thabisani and Bruce Masuku.