The prison where the great escape took place Photo G4S
South Africa – The South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPHOR) has called for Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Ronald Lamola, to be removed after the brazen escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thapo Bester.
Bester, dubbed the “Facebook rapist”, escaped from Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein after allegedly committing suicide by setting himself on fire. However, after a social media post with a picture of him in Sandton went viral, correctional services admitted they made a mistake. The burnt body that was found was not Bester. Golden Miles Bhudu, president of SAPHOR, is calling for all those involved in the prison to be fired.
“He [Lamola] should be the first one that must be fired. If he had any respect for our democracy, that was so hard earned, he should be the first to resign. This horror movie escape has made our correctional system in this country a joke of the earth … He and everybody else under him, right up to the guy on the bridge and the ones manning the main gate should be fired.”
Mangaung prison and the escape
In 2000 the ANC decided to enter into a 25-year contract with the security company G4S, which manages the prison from which Bester escaped from. According to Bhudu, this prison costs the taxpayers R1 billion a year to run and G4S only got the contract “for fat cats” to make more money.
“We have come to the situation where one prisoner’s upkeep, in G4S Mangaung prison, costs R435 a day. In the normal department of correctional services facilities it is R335 a day to manage a prisoner. You can see this is money to feed the greed of people in strategic places.”
Furthermore, Bhudu undoubtedly believes that higher ups were involved in Bester’s escape. It is impossible that he escaped without help in one of the best prisons in South Africa.
“No one can tell us that Themba Bester jumped over a fence at Mangaung prison, because you can’t. Those fences are electrified. There are CCTV cameras at each and every corner. In the passages, in the corridors, in the sections, in the cells. So this came as a network of people in very high places. We are also told in reports that two highly placed politicians are also involved in this.”
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Investigating the prison escape
While this seems like the perfect crime, there is no such thing as a perfect crime, said Bhudu. He has called for the Secret Intelligence Service and M60 to investigate the escape as well as Bester’s girlfriend to come forward.
“We are calling for the girlfriend, Nandipha Magudumana, who I’m told is connected to people with big pockets, to hand herself over. She is harbouring him and aiding him. She must hand herself over to the nearest police station.”
In response to the incident the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has indicated it will not be renewing its contract with G4S to run Mangaung Prison. This was the response given to Yoliswa Yako, EFF MP, who questioned the minister on the incident.
In a statement released by G4S, after an initial investigation was done on 5 May 2022, they informed SAPS “to a number of concerns surrounding the circumstances of the fire”. This information was turned over to the police. Three prisons were then suspended pending the investigation and were ultimately dismissed from their post.
“Three employees at the facility were suspended shortly after the incident. These employees were subsequently dismissed in September 2022, December 2022 and January 2023 respectively for matters relating to their conduct on the evening of 3 May 2022.”
SAPS has appealed to the public to provide any information they can on the whereabouts of Bester and have launched a manhunt to find him and his girlfriend.
To hear more from about Golden Miles Bhudu and G4S, listen to the podcast here:
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