Annanias Mathe, the serial rapist and armed robber who made history when he became the only person to have ever escaped from Pretoria’s C-Max prison, has died.
A senior official from the Department of Corrections, who declined to be named, confirmed that Mathe had died on Tuesday at a Durban hospital.
It was not immediately known what the cause of death was and why he was in hospital, but the official said that the department would be issuing a statement later in the day.
Mathe, a Mozambican national, was convicted of 64 charges, including rape, attempted rape, attempted murder, robbery and theft.
In 2006 he managed to escape by covering his body with petroleum jelly and sliding out of his cell window. He was caught a month later.
Six prison warders were dismissed in connection with his escape bid.
Prior to that, he had escaped while being an awaiting trial prisoner in 2005. There were also two escape attempts at Ebongweni C-Max Prison near Kokstad, with the most recent attempt being earlier this year.
– African News Agency (ANA)
