Convicted rapist recaptured after daring escape from Helderstroom Maximum Correctional Centre

A sentenced prisoner, convicted of violent sexual offences, who escaped from Helderstroom Maximum Correctional Centre in Caledon is back in custody. Convicted rapist Jakob September escaped from the secure prison on Saturday.

It has yet to be determined how September managed to escape the secure facility. According to police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg, a co-ordinated search was conducted to apprehend the man who was back in custody the same day.

“Following the escape of an inmate from a correctional facility in Caledon on November 8, 2025, a well-coordinated search team was established comprising of the SAPS Drone Unit, Visible Policing, Public Order Police, K9 Unit, Private Security and the Department of Correctional Service, which led to the re-arrest of the inmate late Saturday night,” he said.

Twigg said that they were hampered by difficult terrain and darkness; the SAPS Drone Unit was mobilised to assist the members on the ground with the search. “Extensive search efforts paid off when thermal imaging technology was used by the Drone Unit to locate the inmate, and he was re-arrested. SAPS members went into the river and arrested the inmate who is serving a life sentence for rape,” he detailed.

Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant Gen (Adv) TE Patekile, thanked the members for their commitment in ensuring the re-arrest of the inmate. Nicholas Gotsell MP - DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice raised the question of accountability.

“The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes with deep concern the escape of convicted rapist Jakob September from Helderstroom Maximum Correctional Centre in Caledon on Saturday. September, originally from Riversdale, was serving a 28-year sentence for violent sexual offences. The DA demands that both the Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner and the Minister of Correctional Services urgently appear before Parliament,” he added.

Gotsell argued that this incident had happened just days after the recent escapes at Wynberg and Strand Police holding cells. Three prisoners escaped at Strand Magistrates’ Court and six at Wynberg Magistrates’ Court. All escapees in Wynberg’s incident have since been detained.

“Those escapes occurred while detainees were in SAPS custody, whilst this escape happened inside a maximum-security correctional facility - the place where security is supposed to be at its strongest,” he cited.

He added that the question was how a prisoner managed to leave the facility without being detected: “Helderstroom is intended to house some of the most dangerous offenders in the country and it is tasked not only with detention but with rehabilitation and the protection of the public. A breach at this level indicates a failure at the very heart of the Department of Correctional Services’ security and operational controls.

“When a prisoner serving a sentence for a serious crime walks out of a maximum-security facility, the public is justified in asking whether Correctional Services is capable of performing its constitutional mandate. The escape from a maximum-security facility by a single inmate points to a criminal justice chain that is failing at every stage; from arrest to court process to incarceration.”

He cited that Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald must explain:

• How this escape was possible from inside a maximum-security facility;
• Whether internal collusion is suspected or being investigated; and
• What immediate steps are being taken to prevent further breaches?

“We congratulate SAPS and specifically the drone unit for their quick response and success in re-apprehension.”

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