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Pretoria – Two former G4S employees who were dismissed after rapist and murderer Thabo Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC), were arrested at their place of residence in Bloemfontein on Monday.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the suspects are facing charges of assisting an inmate to escape from lawful custody, and defeating the ends of justice.
This arrest brings the total to eight people who have been arrested for the escape, including Bester and his girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana.
Magudumana faces charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive, murder, violation of bodies and fraud.
Police have also arrested a former G4S employee Senohe Matsoara, G4S security guard Motanyane John Masukela, Integritron CCTV technician operator Tebogo James Lipholo, and Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni.
Sekeleni was granted bail of R10 000.
Masukela, Magudumana, Matsoara and Lipholo were remanded until their bail application, which has been set down for May 3 and 4, 2023.
The two suspects are also due to appear in court on May 3, with the other accused.
Bester is due back in court on May 16. He will appear alongside Magudumana’s father.
Meanwhile, in April, seven officials at the MCC have been suspended while an investigation is under way into the unauthorised entry of a vehicle into the prison, days before prisoner Bester escaped in May, 2022.
In Parliament, MPs heard that the unauthorised vehicle had brought in a TV cabinet stand into the prison’s skills development centre for repairs by the dismissed supervisor, but it was never repaired.
It was also revealed that the TV cabinet stand was big enough to fit in a corpse.
Last week, the charred body found in Bester’s prison cell, was identified as that of Katlego Bereng, initially thought to be Bester.
Bereng’s body was used as a decoy in Bester’s elaborate prison escape plan.
Bereng’s family together ActionSA laid the charges against G4S and the Health Department.
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