Annanias Mathe (c. 1976 – 27 December 2016), sometimes spelled Ananias Mathe, was a notorious

serial rapist A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms ''sexual predator'', ''repeat rape'' and ''multiple offending' ...

and armed robber from

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

who achieved further notoriety in 2006 by being the only person to have ever escaped from the maximum high-security C-Max Penitentiary in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Mathe was initially arrested on 51 counts of

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

, attempted murder,

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

hijacking Hijacking may refer to: Common usage Computing and technology * Bluejacking, the unsolicited transmission of data via Bluetooth * Brandjacking, the unauthorized use of a company's brand * Browser hijacking * Clickjacking (including ''likej ...

and

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

in November 2006. Whilst being detained in the A6 ward of C-Max Penitentiary which houses dangerous and hardened criminals, Mathe allegedly managed to escape by smearing himself with petroleum jelly and sliding out of his cell window, which measured only 20 cm × 60 cm. This daring escape led the South African press to dub him '

Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

'. It later surfaces, but is not well-known, that Mathe had actually escaped the prison by bribing warders with R80,000. Mathe had escaped from police custody in a similar way, in April 2005, by offering policemen a R15,000 bribe. His last escape prompted a nationwide manhunt, the events of which were closely monitored by local media. He was recaptured on 4 December 2006 (about two weeks after his escape), when he hijacked a car in the affluent Johannesburg suburb of Craighall. Unknown to Mathe, the vehicle was fitted with a satellite tracking device, which led police and private security companies to Mathe after a chase during which he was shot three times in the leg and buttocks. Mathe was found guilty on 67 of 71 charges including rape, attempted rape, attempted murder, robbery and theft, and was sentenced to 54 years' imprisonment with a minimum of 43 years. Six prison wardens linked to his latest escape were dismissed. Mathe died in the King Edward VIII hospital on 27 December 2016, after his health deteriorated. He reportedly suffered from constipation and

urinary retention Urinary retention is an inability to completely empty the bladder. Onset can be sudden or gradual. When of sudden onset, symptoms include an inability to urinate and lower abdominal pain. When of gradual onset, symptoms may include urinary incont ...

References

External links

"C-Max prisoner breaks out"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathe, Annanias 1970s births 2016 deaths Mozambican escapees Escapees from South African detention Mozambican people convicted of murder Mozambican people imprisoned abroad People convicted of murder by South Africa