A bandiet who escaped from Pollsmoor Prison will now face criminal charges after he was caught hiding at his aunty’s house in Lansdowne.
The dramatic manhunt in Hanover Park on Thursday night sparked rumours that the army had been sent in to find Abdul Karriem Davids, 23.
The drama unfolded after a photo of Davids, accompanied by a voice note, called for police and the Anti-Gang Unit to be on the lookout for him.
His mother, Serina, 52, denied harbouring her son and says she was at home when someone came to show her the message: “He is a member of the Ghetto Kids gang and he got a three-year straf for a gun or something like that in a gang fight.
“On Thursday, we got a skrik when we saw the message because we had no idea he escaped.
“The only reason we can think of is that his granny, Helena Sampear, was buried last week and we know he was hartseer when he could not come to the funeral because they were close.”
She says a special team from Pollsmoor arrived and questioned the family.
“They had guns but it was not the army. They came in and searched and were respectful.
“We told them he had not come here and I took their numbers and told them I would phone them if he did come here. Nobody hid him in Hanover Park.
“We heard the next day that he was caught by his aunty’s house at the place they call ‘Die Eiland’ in Lansdowne. I still don’t understand how he escaped from prison but I know he told me he is working in the textile factory on the prison’s grounds.”
In a statement, the Department of Correctional Services confirms the incident.
“Abdul Karriem Davids, 23, from Hanover Park, is currently serving a three-year sentence for possession of fire ammunition,” the statement read.
“The offender was one of six inmates who was assigned duties at one of the workshops, when he escaped. An immediate man-hunt was launched.
“Through a combined effort, the search team which included DCS’s Emergency Support Team, SAPS, the Anti-Gang Unit and the community, was able to re-arrest the offender.”
DCS did not comment on how Davids managed to escape but sources say he climbed over the barbed wire fences.