KZN police Warrant Officer has been arrested for allegedly helping cell escapees
Image: Supplied
A police warrant officer has been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal for allegedly helping three suspects escape from custody at KwaMsane police station.
The officer was arrested by the Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit on Friday, 29 May 2026. He faces charges of aiding and abetting suspects to escape from lawful custody, defeating the ends of justice and corruption.
The charges stem from an incident on 27 February 2024 when three suspects escaped from holding cells at KwaMsane police station after cutting through steel burglar bars and a roof iron sheet.
One of the escapees, Sibusiso Gumede, was rearrested a month later at a roadblock in Vryheid.
Police investigations allegedly revealed that the escape was orchestrated by a detective warrant officer, who is accused of supplying the suspects with a steel saw. Investigators further allege that the suspects paid the officer R5,000 in exchange for his assistance.
Following the investigation, a warrant for the officer's arrest was issued by the court and he was subsequently taken into custody.
The accused is expected to appear in the KwaMsane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, on charges of aiding and abetting suspects to escape from lawful custody, defeating the ends of justice and corruption.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
IOL