Mathe says this suspect is likely to face more charges. So far, nine people have been arrested in this case. Only two are out on bail of R10 000 each.

Mathe says the suspect is expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. Mathe adds that the possibility of police making more arrests cannot be ruled out.

On May 29, Bloemfontein magistrate Mohlolo Khabisi denied granting bail to four of the five suspects linked to the escape of Bester from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.

Khabisi denied accused one Senohe Matsoara, accused three Teboho James Lipholo, accused six Motanyane John Masukela, and accused seven Tieho Frans Makhotsa bail. The case was postponed to June 20 for further investigations and the other co-accused’s appearance.

Some of the accused, including Matsoara, have been in custody for over 50 days since their arrest in April. They are accused of aiding the convicted ‘Facebook rapist’ and murder convict to escape from lawful custody in the Broadway block of cells at the Mangaung Correctional Centre under the guard of G4S.

They face several charges, including aiding and abetting the escape of a prisoner, defeating the ends of justice, arson, and violating a corpse.

During the testimony of state witness Teiho Flyman from the SAPS’s provincial organised unit, it was said that Matsoara and Lipholo placed the body of Bereng inside cell 35 to allow Bester to escape.

The deceased’s body was allegedly claimed by Bester’s girlfriend, Nandipha Magudumana, from the National Hospital’s mortuary for a fake funeral in Phase 2 in Bloemfontein, where Matsoara got hold of Bereng’s body and took it inside the premises of G4S on April 29.

It’s alleged that accused six Masukela, who was on duty at the gate that day, failed to search Matsoara’s vehicle, which had a television cabinet behind which Bereng’s body was hidden in a bag. He allegedly assisted Matsoara to offload the body and place it inside a workshop.

The body was later put inside a trolley bin and taken by Lipholo to the block called Broadway, where Bester was kept as a prisoner. The other two accused, Jansen and Makhotsa, who were operators in the control room, were also implicated in not following procedure.

“The dead body was taken to the Thusanong Mortuary for the preparation of the burial, and the staged funeral was held in phase two, where Matsoara got the body from,” the witness alleged in court.

On May 12, the witness says, Bester paid Matsoara R150 000, while Matsoara himself further paid accused three Teboho James Lipholo, and accused seven Tieho Makhotsa, R40 000 and R14 000, respectively.

Colonel Flyman says Bester was given a G4S uniform and walked out of the G4S prison in the early hours of May 3, 2022, with Integriton technician Lipholo. A fire was staged inside his cell where the body of Bereng was burnt as a decoy for Bester to escape from lawful custody.

Bester allegedly lived in luxury in Johannesburg. He was arrested in Tanzania along with Magudumana. They were brought back to South Africa on April 13.

Magudumana was transferred to the Free State, where she made her first appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court. She has been remanded in custody ever since.

Magudumana has reserved her right to apply for bail. She has since re-applied to the Free State High Court to appeal judge Philip Loubser’s verdict, which dismissed her case over her alleged unlawful and unconstitutional arrest.

Seven officials linked to the Bester escape have been suspended. It’s understood that 23 officials were on duty at the time of Bester’s escape.

Source: OFM News