Pretoria - A fugitive who posed as a police captain and worked at a Limpopo police station for about two years has been rearrested, the Hawks said on Friday.
The fake police captain, known as Alex Mailula, 39, whose real name is Alex Matsobane Maake, was rearrested on Thursday night.
He had escaped from police holding cells in Polokwane in February, just two days after he was arrested for impersonating a police officer.
According to the Hawks, in 2012 Maake arrived at Polokwane SAPS and introduced himself as Captain Mailula from SAPS National Head Office.
Without any verification and vetting he was allowed to start performing his duties, which included leading the elite group tasked with tracing most wanted suspects.
A few months before his arrival in Limpopo, Maake had escaped from lawful custody in Pretoria Central Police Station where he was awaiting his sentence after he was convicted of rape he had committed in 2010.
Besides the cases of impersonating a police official and escaping from lawful custody in Seshego and Polokwane, respectively, he will also answer have to another rape case in which he was convicted in Crystal Parkin 2009 but faltered bail conditions.
During his arrest on Thursday Maake tried his luck with the Hawks but was shot in the foot.
He is currently under heavy police guard at a hospital in Limpopo.
Acting Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) head Major General Mthandazo Ntlemeza congratulated the team for Maake’s arrest.
Ntlemeza said they are still going to investigate how he managed to enter into SAPS’s system and exploit it for his benefit.
“That is the biggest question South Africa is asking and I will personally make sure that we deliver on that command.
“Those found to have assisted this dangerous criminal, their days are numbered and they should voluntarily provide that information or they will answer in court.” – SAnews.gov.za
