Inmates often try to break out of prison‚ but one East London man decided to go the other way: he broke into the Mdantsane prison facility to try to steal an official’s car.
The incident‚ which took place at 6am on Thursday‚ sparked fears of a prison escape among the nearby NU13 community.
Eastern Cape correctional services spokesperson Nobuntu Gantana said it is unknown how the man gained entry to the facility.
Gantana confirmed that guards at the tower guardroom activated the alarm‚ thinking a prisoner was trying to escape.
“The guards chased the man‚ thinking he was an escaping prisoner. However‚ after counting the prisoners and getting a full number‚ it later appeared that the suspect was an intruder‚” she said.
Gantana said a group of officials who chased the suspect had failed to catch him.
In a short statement on WhatsApp‚ Gantana said: “A case was opened by the owner of the car.”