PHUTI MOSOMANE
THE Acting National Commissioner of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Makgothi Thobakgale, has announced the appointment of a new acting prison manager following the dramatic escape of fugitive, Thabo Bester, from prison.
Briefing the media on Thursday, Thobakgale said the current Mangaung prison director has been removed and replaced with the new controller.
“The Correctional Services Act does provide for a mechanism to restore safety and security by taking control of the facility by means of appointing a temporary manager. This will mean that this temporary manager will perform the functions of the director. In this case, I have appointed Patrick Ali Mashabathakga as the temporary manager of the Mangaung correctional facility,” he said.
He said the G4S Security company still maintains that the famous Facebook rapist and murderer did not escape, despite overwhelming evidence showing that he did.
Thobakgale said a track and trace team has been activated from the department of correctional services to work with the SAPS in following every lead about the whereabouts of Bester.
Mangaung prison is famous for security breaches, Thobakgale said the Bester incident is not the first incident.
“This case showed a lack of security, and the most worrying fact is that human actions were the main source of the problems. G4S has not conceded that Thabo Bester escaped, despite overwhelming evidence showing that. They insist that he was burnt in cell 35. We were not getting the cooperation we needed from G4S. Contract and concession documents about the G4S contract referred to the DCS legal department,” he said.
He said in October 2022, the post-mortem report was presented, and only on March 22, 2023, was the final report delivered.
Bester was assisted to escape from the Mangaung maximum prison centre on May 3 2022. An initial report suggested that he committed suicide by setting himself alight in his cell number 35.
G4S has since confirmed that it has “dismissed three employees” in relation to Bester’s scandal.
“On May 5, following an initial investigation, G4S alerted SAPS to a number of concerns surrounding the circumstances of the fire. SAPS were supplied with relevant information and evidence,” G4S said.
“These employees were subsequently dismissed in September 2022, December 2022 and January 2023, respectively, for matters relating to their conduct on the evening of May 3, 2022.”
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