Michael Sakuneka

Michael Sakuneka

Police in Tzaneen, Limpopo, have re-arrested an awaiting-trial prisoner who escaped from Mankweng Hospital more than a week ago.

Jan Monyela was arrested at Kubjana village in Bolobedu South after he and another suspect broke into a house where an elderly woman was sleeping. They allegedly robbed her of her cellphone before hanging her from the roof of her house.

Monyela, 31, was shot in both legs when he tried to run away from police who went to arrest him. They then took him to Mankweng Hospital from where he later escaped.

He was, however, rearrested at Morudji village on Monday.

He and his co-accused, Vincent Kgatla, appeared briefly in the Tzaneen magistrate's court yesterday on a charge of murder.

The two were denied bail and their case was postponed to April 3 for further investigations.

Police spokesperson Captain Simon Shikwambana said Monyela was still to appear before the Mankweng magistrate's court to face a charge of escaping.

A concerned resident who did not want to be named said villagers were very angry and concerned about their safety since the incident took place.

However, he told Sowetan that they were relieved the suspects have been denied bail, and hoped that "they will be found guilty and rot in jail to pay for what they did to the old lady".

"We commend police investigators who arrested the suspects, and members of the community who stood up to expose the suspects," Shikwambana said.