By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that the senior investigator probing the escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester died by suicide.
Brigadier Jackson Mkhaulesi was found in his vehicle with a gunshot wound – hours after he attended the court case of Bester’s accomplice Nandipha Magudumana.
The convicted rapist and murderer escaped from the maximum-security prison in May last year by faking his own death and was rearrested in Tanzania earlier this month.
He was assisted by employees at the prison and Magudumana.
So far, eight suspects have been arrested in relation to the escape and six of the suspects are current and former G4S employees.
Masemola confirmed in a media briefing on Friday afternoon that he died by suicide.
“The investigating officer, Brigadier Mkhaulesi, at the moment the preliminary investigations are that there was no foul play, a member committed suicide.
“But we did send a team there led by General Sibiya [Shadrack] to go and look at all angles and investigate the matter so that we can acquit ourselves and be able to tell the public as to exactly what is the problem or what is the possible source of this suicide.
“But there is no foul play for now,” said Masemola.
Masemola also confirmed that the member had applied for early retirement.
“We are aware as SAPS that he did apply for early retirement, it is not only him, there is a number of members who applied for early retirement which we are currently considering.
“But as to why he took his life we cannot at this stage pre-empt what was the reason.”
Masemola also revealed that more arrests are expected in connection with Bester’s escape.
“There are no any other arrests, but we are still investigating the matter and we expect that there will be further arrest because there is quite a lot of people that are involved in this investigation.”
Gun violence
Addressing the issue of gun violence, the general explained that law enforcement agencies intensified efforts to detect and trace illegal firearms.
“Firearms are found to be the most preferred weapons in the commission of crimes, particularly murder. To ensure the safety and security of communities, 215 151 illegal and unwanted firearms, along with more than 2 million rounds of ammunition, have been destroyed from 2019 to date,” he said.
Additionally, 12 592 firearms confiscated during operations are scheduled for destruction in the current financial year, he added.
Gender-based violence
The fight against gender-based violence and femicide remains a priority, the general emphasised. During the past financial year, he confirmed that 17 481 suspects were arrested for gender-based violence and femicide-related cases.
“As a result, 386 life imprisonment sentences were handed down to 230 accused individuals,” he said.
Moreover, he said that 221 accused received sentences ranging from 20 years and above imprisonment, 421 accused received sentences ranging from 10 to 19 years imprisonment, and 692 accused received sentences ranging from 1 to 9 years imprisonment.
He concluded saying that law enforcement agencies will continue to implement targeted operations to address specific crime challenges in various provinces.