JOHANNESBURG - Police officers have been implicated  in the Johannesburg prison truck explosion in which three people died  and 15 were injured, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate  said yesterday.

“Investigations are still under way, but we have  established that police officers were involved and have been implicated  in the explosion,” spokesperson Moses Dlamini said.

“I can’t go  into the small details because the investigations continue, but the  officers were involved in the smuggling of the explosive device to the  prisoners.”

Dlamini said arrests were imminent.

On  October 22, an explosive device detonated in a prison truck taking 36  awaiting-trial prisoners from the Randburg Magistrate’s Court to Johannesburg Central Prison.

Two prisoners tried to escape, but were recaptured by the police. One of them was shot and wounded.
On October 26, Dan Mabona, 32, Ephraim Moyo, James Motsiti, 33, and  Raymond Moyo, 28 appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.

The  men face charges of murder, attempted murder, possession of explosives,  and malicious damage to property.

The matter was postponed to December  for further investigation.

The men had been in custody prior to the incident and all faced charges of robbery. — SAPA