KZN Prison break latest: 16 men still on the run after brazen escape After armed men staged an audacious prison break on Wednesday, KZN police are scrambling to track down 16 of the 45 prisoners who got loose. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police operations to hunt down 16 escaped prisoners who are yet to be rearrested in Pietermaritzburg are continuing on Thursday. Dramatic scenes unfolded on Wednesday when a group of suspects – targeting a police van to set free a single prisoner – ended up releasing dozens of felons when they attempted to hijack the vehicle. In total, 45 awaiting-trial prisoners who were being transported from prison to the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates Court escaped custody when the five armed gunmen forced the prisoner transport vehicle off the road. They then pointed firearms at the police officers while one of the men use a bolt cutter to cut the locks on the back of the vehicle.