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Botha escaped with his fellow inmate Johannes Pheko on Tuesday.
Both, however, have since been rearrested.
Botha was reportedly serving two life sentences.
In 2001, Botha was arrested after he raped and murdered his daughter who was 12-years-old.
He also murdered the family’s domestic worker, Maria Peters.
Botha’s ex-wife found her child’s lifeless body on her bed and Peters’s body outside the house when she returned home.
Following his arrest, Botha tried to commit suicide in his holding cell by slitting his wrists.
Opening up old wounds
With the blood from his wrist, he reportedly wrote on his cell wall, “Liefde, you killed me”, referring to his ex-wife.
Speaking to News24, the woman who did not want to be identified, said Botha’s escape opened up old wounds.
“For almost 14 years now, I have been trying to put the past behind me and then this happened [his escape]. He [Botha] is dead to me,” she said.
“I have been living on edge, looking over my shoulder ever since,” she said.
Free State police said the two overpowered a warder and stole his firearm and his white Opel Corsa bakkie.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Zweli Mohobeleli said they re-arrested Botha near the Bloemfontein National hospital.
“We found him on Friday afternoon with the firearm that he stole in prison. He was still using the Opel Corsa bakkie that he stole from the warder. The other man was found hiding at Vergnan Square,” he said.
