Police need help to identify one of the bodies connected to Bester’s escape
One of the bodies meant to be used in Thabo Bester’s escape is yet to be identified. The Free State police are turning to the public to help locate the man’s family. READ: ‘Thriving black market for seal meat’: Suspect arrested in Cape Town BODY CLAIMED BY BESTER ACCOMPLICE NEEDS TO BE IDENTIFIED The body was […]
One of the bodies meant to be used in Thabo Bester’s escape is yet to be identified. The Free State police are turning to the public to help locate the man’s family.
READ: ‘Thriving black market for seal meat’: Suspect arrested in Cape Town
BODY CLAIMED BY BESTER ACCOMPLICE NEEDS TO BE IDENTIFIED
The body was recovered twice. First, it was found in Lovedale Road, Bloemfontein, after a hit-and-run incident on 9 October 2021.
“The body was then claimed by one of the suspects in the Thabo Bester Escape case at the Bloemfontein Government Mortuary,” said South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele.
READ: SA’s crippling blackouts reduced to just over 2 hours daily
The body was found for the second time in the Modder River on April 2022 – weeks before Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC) after faking his death.
Bester’s lover, Nandipha Magudumana, got hold of three bodies from Bloemfontein morgues. One of these was smuggled into a prison cell and set alight. The police believe the burnt body is that of Katlego Mpholo.
READ: Chilly conditions ahead: Strong cold front to bring temperature drop to SA
Bester escaped from the MCC in May 2022, and was recaptured earlier this year. Twelve suspects, including the man himself, have been charged for their alleged involvement in the escape.
Bester was serving a life sentence plus 75 years for rape and murder at the time of his escape.
Members of the public who can help identify the man’s body or locate his next of kin are encouraged to contact Colonel Ben Bolsiek at 082-466-8530.
