MOPANI – The police have managed to re-arrest five of the nine awaiting-trial prisoners who escaped from the Ritavi police cells on Sunday evening.

According to the spokesperson of the police in the Mopani area, Capt Moatshe Ngoepe, the thugs used a sharp instrument to cut the roof of the exercise cell in which they were kept.

One of them, David Kapa (24), was re-arrested within the police station premises shortly after the incident. Kapa was arrested for assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The other one, Ronald Shikweni (23) was arrested at Nkowankowa Township about an hour after the incident.

The police arrested two more escapees at the Kgapane Township near Tzaneen on Monday morning. According to the statement, the two were hungry and were begging for water and food from the people at the township at the time of their arrest.

Those who were re-arrested on Monday morning are Cedrick Nkawane (22) and Steenboy Modiba (22). They were all arrested for murder. Justice Baloyi (22) was arrested at the Ritavi settlement on Tuesday morning after the police received the information from the community. Baloyi was initially arrested for as-sault.

The four who were still at large at the time of going to press are Given Mboweni (26), who was arrested for murder, Walter Mofumadi (22) (murder), Tebele Letsoako (23) (murder), and Rodgers Ngobeni, who was arrested for housebreaking and theft.

The statement indicates that the police have since launched an internal probe with a view to establishing how the instrument got into the cells. The police have appealed to anyone with information regarding the case to contact the Ritavi police station at Tel: 015 302 1000.