Cape Town – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has criticised Justice Minister Ronald Lamola for his reaction during an interview about escaped Facebook rapist, Thabo Bester.
The Department of Correctional Service (DCS) confirmed that Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre after an investigation revealed that the body found in his cell at the time was not his, reported TimesLIVE.
Bester was reported to have died in his single cell in May last year while serving a life sentence for the murder of one woman and rape of two models.
Lamola let out a chuckle while being questioned by Newzroom Afrika about an email sent by a warden allegedly alerting his department about Bester’s escape.
He said the investigation into the matter was ongoing and the department would speak when investigations were completed.
Minister Of Correctional Service Ronald Lamola laughs about the escape of rapist and murderer Thabo Bester. We are on our own… pic.twitter.com/0WFz00tIcq
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) March 25, 2023
The EFF slammed Lamola for laughing during the interview and shared a video of the interview on Twitter.
“Minister Of Correctional Service Ronald Lamola laughs about the escape of rapist and murderer Thabo Bester. We are on our own…,” it captioned the video.
The party said the escape and its confirmation by the department prior to the necessary DNA test were a testament to the incompetence of the correctional service system and the endemic corruption in the sector.
“Bester’s death through suicide was staged as the deceased body found in his cell was that of another individual, while he has been on the loose for months.
“It is even more disturbing that Bester was able to run a media company during his tenure in prison, possibly amassing the money necessary to orchestrate his fake death, escape from prison and have a life outside prison without it ever being discovered that he had indeed escaped,” said the EFF.
It said the escape endangered the lives of women in the country and called for a manhunt for Bester to be conducted.
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
‘Scrap 25-year-deal with G4S,’ Department of Correctional Services told
Cape Town – The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has challenged the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to cancel its contract with G4S after the company was implicated in the alleged escape of Facebook Rapist, Thabo Bester.
Bester was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for the murder of one woman and rape of two models before he was reportedly found dead in his single cell in May last year.
Over the weekend, the DCS confirmed that Bester actually escaped from maximum prison after an investigation revealed that the body found in his cell at the time was not his, reported TimesLIVE.
Commenting on the matter, Build One SA leader, Mmusi Maimane said “heads must roll” and called on Police Minister Bheki Cele and Justice Minister Ronald Lamola to address the matter.
Meanwhile, Popcru spokesperson accused the multinational companies of chasing profits over security and called on the government to revoke its 25-year contract with G4S to run the Mangaung Prison facility, reported EWN.
ALSO READ | Facebook rapist’s fake death prison escape shocks SA
The report said Mangaung Prison was one of two private facilities, including another in Makhado, Limpopo.
It was understood that the government paid a combined R1 billion a year to the service providers to manage the prisons and the contract was expected to run until 2026, the report said.
According to TimesLIVE G4S insisted that Bester died in his cell and did not escape as confirmed by the department.
The report said the DCS was engaging with the security company to get details of what happened on the day.
DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said they didn’t seem to find each other with the contractor in terms of our findings and their findings.
“There are disagreements. They are maintaining that the inmate who was allocated that particular cell is the one that died in that fire and we are saying that is not the case.” the report quoted Nxumalo as saying.
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
Facebook rapist’s fake death prison escape shocks SA
Johannesburg – Police said they have launched a manhunt for a convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, who faked his own death in a daring prison break that has shocked the country.
Authorities believed Thabo Bester to have died after setting himself alight in a privately-run prison in Bloemfontein in May last year.
But at the weekend police said DNA tests revealed the charred remains found in the serial rapist’s cell belonged to someone else.
“At this point our priority is to find this fugitive of justice and establish exactly how he faked his death,” police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said on Monday.
Dubbed the “Facebook rapist” Bester allegedly lured victims on the social media platform before raping and robbing them. At least one victim was killed.
In 2012 he was sentenced to life in prison for rape, robbery and murder.
ALSO READ | ‘Heads must roll, we are not safe!’ – Maimane on Facebook rapist’s confirmed escape
On Sunday police said an autopsy revealed the body found in Bester’s cell had died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head before it was set ablaze.
A fresh murder investigation has been opened.
The case has sparked outrage in the country, where women’s rights groups have long accused the government of not doing enough to tackle violence against women.
“The unfolding of this story has been like a movie and sent shivers down everyone’s spines…I can imagine what it did to the victims” Bafana Khumalo, the co-director of NGO Sonke Gender Justice, told AFP.
Between October and December last year, police recorded more than 12 000 rapes across the country.
Doubts about Bester’s death were first raised by local media outlet GroundUp last November.
Photographs purportedly showing the convict grocery shopping in an affluent Johannesburg suburb have since surfaced.
ALSO READ | ‘Facebook rapist’ found dead in his prison cell
And some women have come forward alleging the convict made contact with them on social media.
Prior to his escape, Bester also reportedly ran a scam media business from inside prison using a false name.
A video of the criminal addressing a company event via video call from behind bars while pretending to be in New York has gone viral.
“The escape of Bester… is testament to the incompetence of the Correctional Services system, and the endemic corruption in the sector,” Radical leftist opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters said in a statement.
Police have appealed to the public for any information relevant to the case.
“We want to find people who are directly involved in this matter as well as his accomplices,” said Mathe.
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Source: AFP
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