Cape Town - As the nation continues to sit at the edge of their seats as shocking details are revealed of Thabo Bester’s Hollywood-like prison break, the incident has raised concerns about prisoners escaping.
Bester, known as the “Facebook Rapist”, staged his own death in his cell at the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein in May 2022.
After being on the run, Bester and his fugitive girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, were tracked and arrested in Tanzania last week.
The “Bonnie and Clyde” couple were extradited to South Africa and taken into custody amid a heavy security contingent at Lanseria Airport during the early hours of today Thursday, April 13.
Taking Bester’s great escape into account, IOL takes a look at escapes from Correctional Services and police holding cells over the past 12 months.
- March 2022: Four dangerous prisoners escaped from Rooigrond Prison near Mahikeng in the North West. Department of Correctional Services (DCS) officials said a cell window was found broken. The prisoners who escaped were convicted for crimes such as robbery, rape and murder.
- April 2022: Three remand detainees escaped from the Malmesbury Correctional Facility. The DCS would not reveal how the trio escaped, for security reasons. In 2020, more than 60 inmates escaped from the same prison. They were later rearrested.
- May 2022: Five awaiting-trial prisoners, deemed as dangerous, escaped from the police holding cells in Zeerust, in the North West. Joshua Sibanda, 39, Amogelang Motsiane, 36, Tshepiso Kwenampe, 22, Bengu Hlanganane, 31, and Enoch Lebeloane, 46, allegedly overpowered a police officer, took the cell keys from the officer and escaped. At the time, the group faced charges ranging from rape and attempted murder to robbery.
- June 2022: Five awaiting-trial prisoners escaped from the Wellington Correctional Facility in the Eastern Cape. At the time of the incident, police officers from Qumbu were transporting the prisoners back to prison when they reportedly heard a loud bang at the back of the vehicle along Nqadu Road. Police said motorists had alerted the officers to the escaping prisoners.
- August 2022: Two awaiting-trial prisoners escaped from police custody in Wolmaransstad in the North West. Gomolemo Chacha, 24, and Ditshebi Eric Molaetsi, 28, along with six other awaiting-trial prisoners, overpowered a police officer at the Wolmaransstad police station holding cells. They took the keys from the police officer. At the time, they faced charges of murder, domestic violence, armed robbery and burglary.
- October 2022: Seven suspects escaped from the Makhanda Correctional Facility in the Eastern Cape. Abraham Moyane, Trymore Chauke, Simba Masinge, Francis Chitiyo, Bennet Kwarrile, Nhamo Muyambo, and Luvuyo September allegedly used hacksaw blades to cut the steel bars from cell 7 which housed 28 inmates. Two weeks before their escape, five of them – Chitiyo, Chauke, Masinge, Muyambo and Moyane – were convicted for poaching rhino horns. Abraham was rearrested at a private game reserve in Makhanda on April 10, 2023.
- November 2022: Twelve prisoners escaped from the police cells at Komatipoort police station in Mpumalanga after a fight broke out between those in custody and police officers. One officer was injured. Two suspects who tried crossing the border to Mozambique were arrested shortly thereafter.
- January 2023: Three suspects, deemed as a danger to society, escaped while being transported from Grobersdal to Witbank Prison in Limpopo.
- March 2023: Six awaiting-trail prisoners escaped in Limpopo after the police were attacked while transporting the prisoners. Officers were ambushed by heavily armed gunmen. At the time, police said the escaped inmates were Zimbabwean nationals.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL