Annanias Mathe (c. 1976 – 27 December 2016), sometimes spelled Ananias Mathe, was a notorious serial rapist and armed robber from

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

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 South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. 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, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

, attempted murder,

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

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 ''like ...

and armed robbery in November 2006. Whilst being detained in the A6 ward of C-Max Penitentiary which houses dangerous and hardened criminals, Mathe 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 Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

'. Mathe had escaped from police custody before, in April 2005. 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 Craighall is a suburb of Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest u ...

. 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.

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