Facebook rapist Thabo Bester put his escape into action by first asking prison authorities to move him into a single cell for 'his own safety'. Three days later, a charred body which was believed to be that of Bester was found burnt under a mattress in his cell. This was revealed by G4S, the security company which was managing Mangaung Prison where Bester escape. G4S appeared before Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on Wednesday after they failed to pitch last week as expected.  

WELL PLANNED ESCAPE  

The Prison's Centre Director Joseph Monyante gave a timeline of the events leading to Bester's escape. The commission heard that his plan came into action from 30 April 2022, when Bester asked to be moved from a communal to a single cell claiming he feared for his life. Monyante said two days after Bester was moved to a single cell, a fire was reported in the early hours of 3 May 2022. "The fire was extinguished by qualified prison personnel and 30 minutes later, a nurse from Faranani health services arrived followed by Department of Correctional Services (DCS) controller. The prison's operations director arrived with a doctor from Faranani Life that examined the burnt body and certified the prisoner dead,' Monyante said. He added that around 6am, DCS area commissioner and duty director arrived and later the police. "The last team to make it to the prison were the forensic pathologists, who examined Bester's "body". After cell 35 was cleared,' Monyante added.

SHORTAGE OF STAFF 

G4S also said that on the night of Bester's escape, only one security guard was on standby instead of seven. Due to the shortage of staff, an unauthorised and uninspected vehicle was able to go through the prison which houses more than 3000 inmates. The vehicle was carrying a TV stand, which is believed to have been carrying the body that was found charred in Bester's cell.  The prison's audit and risk director Gert Beyleveld admitted that the TV stand had gotten into the premises unsearched. Beyleveld said: "It was a TV stand cabinet that came in, it went into the skills development area and according to the people that are being investigated, this TV stand was brought in by the supervisor who has been dismissed. That had come in for repair purposes,' Beyleveld said. Thabo Bester and his lover Dr Nandipha Magudumane were arrested on Friday night in Tanzania. South African authorities are currently working on bringing them back into the country. And with each day that unfolds, the plot thickens.