Ananias Mathe couldn't escape his fate: the prisoner dubbed South Africa's jailbreak Houdini died in hospital following an illness.
The Department of Correctional Services confirmed his death and added that he had been sick for more than a month. The department said he was first treated at the Kokstad prison medical wing before being taken to Usher Memorial Hospital.
"Thereafter he was referred to Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg where he underwent an operation. He was discharged later and taken back to Ebongweni Correctional Centre. On December 23, he was admitted again at King Edward Hospital where he underwent another operation the following day. We then received the news of his passing yesterday," the department said.
TimesLive reported that a senior prison official in KwaZulu-Natal said Mathe was suffering complications from an apparent "digestive issue" over the past three months. He died at the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban on Tuesday.
"Three weeks ago he was taken to hospital not feeling well. Twice (in that week) he was taken to a hospital in Kokstad‚ they would look at him and bring him back. Once‚ he was even taken in the middle of the night and brought back early that morning‚" the official told the publication.
Due to his escape history, officials apparently didn't believe that he was genuinely ill but thought Mathe was trying to get sent to hospital as part of an escape plot. But his condition deteriorated and he was taken for further medical attention at the Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg where he underwent surgery.
On Christmas Eve‚ he was re-admitted to hospital.
"He was there for three days‚ listed as critical. He was operated on twice for the same problem‚ to do with things not being well in his stomach. It seems like a digestive issue‚ but I wouldn't know 100%‚ medically-speaking. We are waiting for an autopsy. At about 4.30pm to 5pm‚ he succumbed from his illness. I think it was a genuine sickness. Not so long ago he was caught trying to escape‚ and when this happened we thought it was another attempt‚ especially because it is the festive season (when escapes are most common). But he has been ill‚" the official said.
Mathe, a Mozambican, became notorious in 2006 when he became the first inmate to escape from the high-security C-Max prison in Pretoria. His unorthodox method captured people's attention, as it was reported that he used vaseline to cover his body so he could slide through the steel bars of his cell. IOL reported that he was able to break through the wall surrounding the window. The cell from where he escaped was about six square metres in size and contained only a bed, toilet, basin and wooden bench.
He was captured a month later.
He also tried to escape from the Kokstad prison on two occasions but was not successful.
In 2009 he was convicted of charges including rape, armed robbery and housebreaking and jailed for 54 years, reported News24 at the time.
His death was met with various reactions with the National Freedom Party saying he should have been given the death penalty to ensure he did not continue his crime spree.
"The NFP strongly believes that dangerous criminals like Ananias Mathe should have got the death penalty a long time ago for the serious crimes and murder he has committed. It is the undisputed fact that government could have saved a lot of state resource and time if the government opted for the death penalty in similar cases of Ananias Mathe, taxpayers' money spent daily on Mathe could have been used wisely," spokesperson Erickson Zungu said.
Zungu said the discussion on the death penalty should be brought to the people to get people's opinions on it. He said although some might argue that it would be taking the country backwards, the justice system was failing ordinary citizens.
"Therefore as the National Freedom Party, we believe that systems in our country are not tough enough to deal with serious crime. It is about time the government of South Africa realises that our call for a referendum is not just a call to instill some form of discipline but also it is a reduction of crime," said Zungu.
The Democratic Alliance's James Selfe commented that "It is considered impolite to speak ill of the dead. However, in the case of Mr. Mathe, society is now free from a dangerous and malevolent individual."
Due to his history, there was a certain amount of public disbelief at the news of Mathe's death and, for those who believed it, no sorrow.
Ananias Mathe faked his death. Believe me he will wake up at the mortuary and escape again
— Ruby Kekana (@RubyKekana) December 28, 2016
When you die and "RIP" is not trending but instead ppl r celebrating yo death, then u kno u were a horrible human being😩 #AnaniasMathe
— MaNgema (@phiwekaMvelo) December 28, 2016