Convicted Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester is not dead, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has revealed. On May 3, 2022, the department announced that Bester burnt beyond recognition in a prison cell at the Mangaung Maximum Correctional centre. However, the Department has since revealed that the remains found in his prison cell was not his and that he is at large.
DCS spikesperdon Singabakho Nxumalo said the department received a report on May 3 2022 from Mangaung Correctional Centre, a public-private partnership facility operated by G4S, indicating Bester committed suicide by setting himself alight in his cell at about 3.25am. "Recorded as an unnatural death, the standard operating procedures dictated that an investigation be launched and the incident be reported to the police,"
“A post-mortem conducted on the body that burnt beyond recognition in cell 35 at Mangaung Correctional Centre revealed it was an adult male with blunt force trauma to his head.
The post-mortem report further revealed that there were no signs of smoke inhalation in the body. Furthermore, it uncovered that the pancreas and the spleen in the body were in the early stages of decomposition. Over and above that, the DNA sequencing with a person identified to be the mother of Bester failed to indicate a common ancestor or a match," Nxumalo added.
Nxumalo said in line with the concession contract, two correctional services officials were appointed to investigate the incident. "The department will announce the findings of its internal investigation, which ran parallel to a still ongoing police probe. The department’s investigation concluded that Bester escaped from lawful custody on May 3, 2022. What is critical at this stage is for Bester to be found. DCS is appealing to the public to assist with any information that may lead to the arrest of Bester to contact the police.” Nxumalo concluded. Mojalove
