More than 40 Eastern Cape officials from the department of correctional services have been hauled to disciplinary hearings for allegedly aiding 46 inmates to escape. Five inmates are still at large while the others were rearrested. Spokesperson Nobuntu Gantana said from 2016 to date, there had been 46 escapes in the Eastern Cape region.
Bluewater police station in Kwelerha outside East London is one of many so-called “rural police stations” in the province facing challenges that prevent police from performing their duties properly.