By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA Police Services (SAPS) confirmed the body that was found burnt beyond recognition inside cell 35 at the Mangaung Correctional Centre, under the guard of G4S, has been identified.
The charred body used as a decoy for the Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester to escape on 3 May 2022 was found with blunt force trauma.
The identification of the body comes after a direct match was made with the DNA of the biological mother of the deceased, according to police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe.
“The family has been notified by the investigating officer (IO) and no further comment will be provided,” said Mathe.
She said as difficult as this news is, Saps is pleased to bring closure to the family.
Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein in May 2022, after it was initially believed he had committed suicide by setting himself alight in his cell.
However, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), which originally declared him dead, confirmed that the charred body found in his cell was not that of Bester.
Bester and his accomplice, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, were re-arrested in Tanzania earlier this month after being on the run from law enforcement in South Africa. They were brought back to South Africa on Thursday 13 April 2023 following their arrest in Tanzania.
Bester was then taken to Kgosi Mampuru maximum prison facility centre on that day whilst Magudumana appeared in court at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court.
Thus far, former G4S security guard, Senohe Matsoara, technician, Teboho James Lipholo, and another G4S guard Motanyane John Masukela all appeared in court after being arrested. They were remanded in custody until 3 and 4 May 2023 for a formal bail hearing.