COURT ESCAPE RAISES ALARM
The Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court, where an escape and concerns about conditions during renovations have prompted calls for temporary relocation.
Platinum Weekly newspaper | Rustenburg – A suspect who escaped from custody at the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court has been rearrested, while the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has called for court operations to be temporarily relocated amid safety concerns during renovations.
North West police spokesperson colonel Adéle Myburgh confirmed that Thato Dikgang escaped on Wednesday 21 October 2026. He had been in custody in connection with an alleged assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm committed in August this year.
Suspects were allegedly being held in a police truck because a sewage problem had affected the court’s holding cells.
Dikgang allegedly escaped while being moved between the truck and the court.
Rustenburg detectives traced and rearrested him two days later in Kroondal during an evening suspect-raiding operation on 23 October. He subsequently appeared in court and was remanded in custody until 4 December 2026, with no bail set.
The investigation into the escape continues.
In a statement issued on 28 October, POPCRU North West alleged that renovations, inadequate holding facilities and limited access to toilets were endangering officials, detainees and the public.
The union said detainees were being kept in police vehicles for extended periods, with officials sometimes escorting them to toilets near a busy taxi rank. It warned that these arrangements, coupled with staff shortages, increased the risk of escapes and other security incidents. POPCRU urged the relevant government departments and SAPS to identify suitable temporary premises with secure holding cells, toilets and controlled access, and to urgently review security and staffing.