Edward Khomotso Madiba, the inmate who escaped from the Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng in the North West on Sunday, has been rearrested in Brits following a coordinated search operation involving police, correctional services officials and members of the local farming community.

Madiba was arrested at about 10pm on Wednesday after information received by the South African Police Service (SAPS) led investigators to the Bojanala Sub-District.

North West Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Arthur Adams said Madiba was located at a licensed liquor restaurant in Brits after detectives received information about his movements between Brits and Damonsville.

The arrest followed a search operation activated after Madiba was reportedly seen in the vicinity of Legonyane Village.

The operation brought together SAPS, the Department of Correctional Services and local farmers, with teams conducting searches and following up on intelligence leads.

Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale confirmed Madiba had been rearrested during an urgent media briefing at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria on Thursday.

Thobakgale also confirmed that investigators believe Madiba did not escape alone and that he was assisted.

He said investigations had uncovered items that had allegedly been placed at the scene to create the impression that Madiba had used them to escape.

The commissioner said the circumstances surrounding the breakout differed from what authorities normally encounter during prison escapes.

“You could not cut the lock part of a cell door and the battlers from the inside; you were to do that from outside, and that is why I am saying, this is an escape that is different from the escapes that we normally experience,” Thobakgale said.

The investigation is continuing to establish how Madiba managed to leave the maximum-security facility and whether anyone inside or outside the prison assisted him.

Madiba was being held in an isolated single-cell unit and had been under heightened monitoring because of a previous prison escape in 2022.

Before his rearrest, Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo confirmed that eight warders at Rooigrond had been served with notices of contemplated suspension following the escape.

The department had also launched a manhunt and investigation into the circumstances surrounding Madiba’s disappearance from the facility.

Madiba allegedly escaped by cutting through the burglar-bar door of his single cell before fleeing the centre on Sunday, 6 September.

He is serving a 20-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm and ammunition, kidnapping and parole violation.

Following his rearrest, Madiba was handed over to Department of Correctional Services officials.

According to SAPS, he was transported back to the Rooigrond facility, where he is expected to face an additional charge of escaping from lawful custody.

Adams commended the police, correctional services officials, local farmers and members of the public who assisted with information during the search.

He said the successful rearrest demonstrated the value of intelligence, coordinated operations and cooperation between law enforcement agencies, correctional services and communities.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape remains under way, including efforts to establish who may have assisted Madiba.

Madiba remains in custody following his rearrest.