BREAKING: Escaped Pollsmoor prison inmate rearrested

The Pollsmoor Correctional Centre inmate who escaped from the facility in Cape Town this week, has been rearrested.

RELATED | Pollsmoor Prison: 10 notable former inmates

The Department of Correctional Services confirmed that 35-year-old Yanga Wayithi was rearrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning, following a manhunt.

“The department confirms the successful rearrest of Yanga Wayithi, following a coordinated law enforcement operation. Wayithi was apprehended at approximately 01:30 on Wednesday, 12 February 2025.

“He is now back in custody at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre and will face additional charges related to his escape from lawful custody,” the department said.

National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale said: “This arrest reaffirms our commitment to upholding the integrity of the correctional system. We remain resolute in ensuring that all offenders are held accountable, and that public safety remains our top priority”.

Wayithi is serving a six-month sentence for theft and trespassing.

He was assigned to work within a team maintaining the grounds of the facility before his escape.

“A full-scale investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the escape.

“Appropriate measures will be taken against any lapses identified. Additionally, security protocols at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre are under review to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the department said.

NOTABLE FORMER POLLSMOOR PRISON INMATES

Pollsmoor Prison, located in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai, opened in 1964.

The land on which the prison lies was bought by Hendrick van der Poll in 1834, hence the name.

The land, which was inherited by Van der Poll’s wife Johanna Kirsten’s family after the couple died, still houses their graves today which are situated behind the old Pollsmoor police office.

It is a maximum security penal facility that continues to hold some of South Africa’s most dangerous criminals.

The prison was designed for a maximum capacity of 4 336 offenders attended by a staff of 1 278.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: Life in Pollsmoor prison for the first time

Over the years the prison has been expanded and today comprises five prisons:

• The Admission Centre serves a number of the courts in the Cape Peninsula (Cape Town, Mitchell’s Plain, Somerset West and Wynberg)
• Medium A Prison houses both awaiting trial and sentenced juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17
• Medium B Prison houses sentenced adult males
• Medium C Prison houses sentenced adult males with sentences of up to a year, sentenced adult males on day-parole or soon-to-be-released males
• The Female Prison houses juvenile (under 18) and adult women, both awaiting-trial and sentenced. There are also a number of infants under the age of 2 living in the Female Prison

Nelson Mandela – South Africa’s first president of a democratic South Africa was held in Pollsmoor prior to his release from prison by the apartheid government

Marlene Lehnberg – Known as The Scissor Murderess, served her sentence in Pollsmoor but was paroled in 1986

Walter Sisulu – Political prisoner, senior ANC member and anti-apartheid activist

Ahmed Kathrada – Political prisoner, senior ANC member and anti-apartheid activist

Andrew Mlangeni – Political prisoner, senior ANC member and anti-apartheid activist

Jafta Masemola – Political prisoner, co-founder and senior PAC member and anti-apartheid activist

Elias Motsoaledi – Political prisoner, senior ANC member and anti-apartheid activist

Wilton Mkwayi – Political prisoner, senior ANC member and anti-apartheid activist

Oscar Mpetha – Political prisoner, senior ANC member, unionist and anti-apartheid activist

Allan Boesak – Served his prison term at Pollsmoor after he was convicted of fraud in 2000

ALSO READ: Prison journalism: The feelings I hold for Nelson Mandela

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