Johannesburg Magistrate's Court officials thought that the Zimbabwean Houdini, Bongani Moyo, had done another disappearing act when he failed to attend court yesterday.
Court and prison officials searched for Moyo - who walked out of the Pretoria Magistrate's Court last month - for about four hours before realising that he was being held at another prison because of fears that he might escape.
Moyo was expected to be brought to court from the Johannesburg prison, but officials discovered after midday that he was at the high-security prison in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal.
Yesterday, Moyo, 29 - linked to a series of armed bank robberies in Johannesburg - was expected to appear with eight others on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault and escaping from custody.
Moyo and his co-accused, Thokozani Masango, 34, Michael Mhlongo, 30, Anele Dube, 31, Sonnyboy Ndlovu, 25, Nicholas Mlotswa, 38, Dumezweni Dube, 31, and Charles Dube, 30, escaped from the Johannesburg Central prison after allegedly assaulting warders Norman Ngoepe and Mathapelo Mthinkhulu and taking their car keys and a cellphone.
They also allegedly assaulted Ntseini Mphapuuli and took his service pistol, loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.
Moyo also escaped from Boksburg prison in March but was re-arrested in May while trying to cross the Beitbridge border into Zimbabwe. He walked out of the Pretoria Magistrate's Court last month but was re-arrested a few weeks later in Hillbrow.
The case was yesterday postponed to next week to allow prisons officials to bring Moyo to court.
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