Crime
Three men accused of murder caught after fleeing police cells
Three men accused of a brutal murder are expected to be brought back to South Africa after slipping through police custody and fleeing across the border into Mozambique. Their disappearance and the violent crime case that follows them have once again put the spotlight on police cell security in Limpopo.
Court appearance that raised alarm bells
The case returned to the spotlight this week at the Polokwane High Court, where four accused were meant to appear on Monday, 19 January 2026. Only one did.
Khensani Mathebula, 32, stood alone in the dock as the remaining three accused, Patrick Javas Mongwe, Patrick Mabono Mbhombi, and Thabo Moye Makgoga, failed to show. It was later confirmed that the men had allegedly escaped from Ritavi police custody months earlier and fled to Mozambique.
The court has since postponed the matter to 4 August 2026 to allow authorities time to finalise the extradition process.
A murder that shocked the community
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Mathebula is accused of orchestrating the killing of her husband, Themba Reymond Mathebula.
Prosecutors allege that in June 2024, she hired the three men to carry out the murder. The crime, as described in court, was chilling. The deceased was allegedly taken from his home while asleep, forced into his own vehicle, driven to Constantia Road, and set alight under a bridge while still inside the car.
Details of the case have continued to circulate widely on social media, with many South Africans expressing anger not only at the crime itself but also at the ease with which the suspects allegedly escaped custody.
The escape that led across the border
The escape happened on 24 June 2025 in Letsitele, near Tzaneen in Limpopo’s Mopani district. Police launched an urgent manhunt after the three men allegedly overpowered officers on duty and fled on foot.
At the time, police warned that the suspects were dangerous and possibly armed. Their alleged flight to Mozambique has since raised renewed questions about border security and cooperation between neighbouring countries.
Escapes under scrutiny nationwide
This case has landed against a broader national concern around escapes from lawful custody. Limpopo continues to record some of the highest numbers of custody escapes in the country, a reality that has drawn sharp public criticism.
In recent months, police in the North West also tracked down and rearrested three inmates who had escaped from Rooigrond Correctional Centre over a period stretching from 2010 to 2022. In each case, the escapees were eventually found serving time for serious violent crimes elsewhere in the country.
For many South Africans, these stories have become part of a troubling pattern, one that fuels mistrust and fear, particularly in communities already scarred by violent crime.
What happens next
For now, all eyes are on the extradition process. If successful, the three fugitives will be returned to face the charges that await them alongside Mathebula.
As the case moves slowly through the courts, it also serves as a stark reminder of how fragile public confidence becomes when dangerous suspects slip through the system, even briefly.
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Source: The Citizen
Featured Image: ACLU of Indiana
