Umzinto prison chaos: Inmate dies in escape attempt [video]

An inmate is believed to have died attempting to escape during the Umzinto prison riots. Here's what we know.

By / / Crime
umzinto prison

‘Free Jacob Zuma’ riots, tagged under the trending ‘SA shutdown’ movement, have taken an ugly turn as inmates from Umzinto prison joined the anarchy.

Prisoner dies trying to escape Umzinto prison

Law enforcement agencies in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng have been overpowered by the large-scale violence and dissent that’s erupted in most parts of the provinces since Friday 9 July 2021.

At every turn, in every region, spurts of unrest were seen and in the mid-South Coast, inmates from Umzinto prison saw an opportunity to join the chaos by breaking into riots.

At this time, no official word has been heard from the correctional service facility but according to reports, a number of prisoners may have managed to escape in the midst of the violence.

We also understand that at least one inmate reportedly fell to his death attempting to break free.

Here is footage of the moment that showed scores of Umzinto inmates gathering on the roof of the corrections facility, with no official in sight.

There have also been reports of a fire that may have broken out inside the prison. This was confirmed by images showing plumes of smoke permeating from the South Coast facility.

Our attempts to get an official statement from the correctional services facility were unsuccessful by the time this article was published.

This is a developing story.