Africa-Press – South-Africa. Two people have been arrested in connection with “Facebook rapist” and murderer Thabo Bester’s prison escape.
On Monday, police confirmed that they had arrested a 39–year-old former G4S employee and a 65-year-old man from Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal.
The two are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
“The multi-disciplinary team investigating Bester’s escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre arrested the duo over the past weekend,” police said in a statement.
“The former G4S employee was arrested at his residence in Bloemfontein on Saturday, 08 April 2023, while the 65-year-old man was arrested on Friday, 07 April 2023, at his home in Port Edward.”
G4S is the private security company contracted to manage Mangaung Correctional Centre, where Bester was incarcerated.
GroundUp reported that he escaped on 3 May in a ruse which involved his prison cell going up in flames. A body was found after the fire, but it has since emerged that it was a decoy. The identity of the body has not been made public yet, if it is known.
The two arrested have been charged with aiding and abetting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody.
Bester and his socialite girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana disappeared once the news reports surfaced, but they and a Mozambican national, who allegedly assisted them in their getaway, were arrested in the Tanzanian city of Arusha.
It is believed that they were on their way to Kenya at the time of their arrest.
Meanwhile, a high-level government delegation led by SAPS deputy national commissioner responsible for policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, has travelled to Arusha.
“The team is currently engaged with their Tanzanian counterparts to finalise all legal processes required towards bringing escapee Thabo Bester and his accomplices to justice in South Africa,” police said.
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola welcomed the latest arrests and said that more could not be ruled out.
He reiterated the appeal for patience as investigators worked on the case.
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