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Money talked and Thabo Bester walked: Witness reveals insider info
The Thabo Bester saga opened its next chapter as new evidence of how he bankrolled his sensational escape emerged in court this week.
The bail application of the five accused, charged for aiding Thabo Bester, left, in his prison escape, took place on Thursday and Friday this week. Images: Twitter @Am_Blujay
New evidence of Thabo Bester’s escape and how Katlego Bareng’s decoy body ended up in his cell came to light at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court this week as a police witness took the stand.
According to various media reports, the testimony of the investigating officer Tieho Flyman contained information reportedly provided in a confession made by a prison CCTV technician who was paid R40 000 instead of the promised R2.5 million for his “blind-eye bribe”.
Witness testifies at bail hearing of Thabo Bester escape accused
The media was on Thursday and Friday barred from recording or broadcasting live the bail proceedings.
The police evidence was presented over a two-day period set aside for the bail application of the five former G4S employees, charged with aiding and abetting Bester in his escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre on 3 May 2022.
Former G4S guards Senohe Matsoara, Motenyani Masukela, Tieho Makhotsa, and Natassja Jansen, as well as Integritron Integrated Solutions technician Teboho Lipholo, appeared again in court on Friday after their bail hearing rolled over from Thursday.
They have all indicated that they intend to plead not guilty.
ALSO READ: NPA drops murder charge against Thabo Bester, co-accused
‘New information’: Dr Nandipha abandons bail
Dr Nandipha Magudumana — the girlfriend and accomplice of convicted murderer and “Facebook rapist” Bester — was the only one of the accused who provisionally abandoned her bail application on Thursday, as reported by The Citizen.
According to her lawyer, Adv Frans Dlamini, “new information” has come to light which still needs to be examined.
Thabo Bester latest: Everything to know about escape and body decoy
GroundUp reported on Flyman’s testimony on how Bareng‘s body was smuggled into the maximum security prison, as well as how thousands of rands changed hands before and after the escape.
CCTV technician Lipholo reportedly revealed his involvement in the escape, as well as the roles of his co-accused and how much each of them got paid, to a police officer.
ALSO READ: Get ‘justice faster’: Thuli Madonsela advises Bereng family to ‘sue for millions’
The price of freedom
- First on Bester’s “bribe list” was former G4S security supervisor at Mangaung prison Senohe Matsoara who distributed bribes to colleagues to facilitate the escape.
- Using his “prison laptop” and under the alias of TK Nkwana, Bester deposited a total of about R152 000 into Matsoara’s bank account in various payments from April 2022 until after his escape.
- Natassja Jansen and Tieho Makhotsa were working in the Central Control Room, from which CCTV cameras are monitored. Both were on duty on the night of the planned cell fire.
- Lipholo disconnected the CCTV cameras for Bester’s cell block after Jansen and Makhotsa allegedly opened the doors for Lipholo.
- Matsoara allegedly promised Lipholo a bribe of R2.5 million for his role in the escape. However, he only received R40 000: R30 000 was paid into his wife’s bank account before the escape, and R10 000 into his own bank account after the escape.
- Makhotsa is said to have received R14 000 in separate deposits of R10 000 and R4 000.
ALSO READ: SAPS ‘gravy plane’? Thabo Bester jet-setting to the very end
Smuggling Katlego Bereng’s body into cell of Bester
The 30-year-old Katlego Bereng’s body was set alight in Bester’s prison cell to fake the Facebook rapist’s death.
- According to the witness, it has since been established that Bereng had a seizure at a taxi rank caused by low blood sugar levels. He later died in the National Hospital in Bloemfontein during efforts to resuscitate him.
- Magudumana claimed the body, pretending it was that of her brother’s child known as Zanda Moyo and that she was assisting with the funeral, according to eNCA.
- On 27 April 2022, Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni, allegedly hired a car from OR Tambo International Airport and drove it to Bloemfontein.
- On 29 April, Matsoara — who was apparently “drinking buddies” with Bereng, according to Newzroom Afrika‘s televised report about the witness testimony — drove the car into the prison grounds with the corpse concealed in a bag.
- The car was not searched by the staff at the gate of the Sally Port entrance and Masukela allowed Matsoara to enter without a pass.
- Bereng’s body was then smuggled into the prison inside a TV cabinet which was placed in the prison workshop.
- The following day, Lipholo placed the corpse in a wheelie bin and took it to the prison yard, where he pretended to do some cleaning.
- Lipholo then tampered with the system to get the body into the Broadway section housing the single cells where it was placed in Bester’s cell 35 where it was set alight at around 3am on 3 May 2022.
- Matsoara, who did not work night shifts as a supervisor, requested a shift swap with one of his colleagues on 2 May, according to IOL.
- IOL also reported thar in the early hours of 3 May, he instructed an official working at the Broadway section to attend to an inmate who apparently was complaining of shortness of breath.
- After the official left, the fire broke out in Thabo Bester’s cell. Instead of helping officials to put out the cell fire, Matsoara was on his cellphone.
After Bareng’s body was placed in the cell, Bester escaped by walking out of the prison disguised in a G4S uniform which was allegedly given to him by Matsoara.
What to expect next?
According to eNCA, the five accused will reappear in court on Tuesday 16 May, alongside Bester, Magudumana and her father.
The matter is expected to be postponed to a later date pending further investigations.
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