Thabo Bester takes legal action against ‘inhumane’ conditions at Kgosi Mampuru

Convicted murderer and “Facebook rapist” Thabo Bester has filed an application at the Free State High Court challenging the alleged inhumane conditions at the Kgosi Mampuru II C-Max prison where he is being held.

He was moved there after allegedly escaping from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022 and was deported from Tanzania in April last year.

In June, Bester appeared without legal representation, alongside his co-accused Dr Nandipha Magudumana and Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni.

‘Rights violated’

He told Judge Cagney Musi his rights were being violated at the Kgosi Mampuru C-Max Prison.

He alleged he was being placed in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day, in a room with a small window. He said impacts his mental health and well-being.

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“The system that has been set up for me specifically, is as if I have my own separate rooms,” said Bester.

“The national commissioner has taken the obligation of being in charge of me as an inmate. In that, all activities that involve Thabo Bester have a Thabo Bester Act, the way I feel I’m treated.

“Even my presence in this court, I am not brought in this court freely where I can express myself. If you can look at me, in the way that I am cuffed, it is inhumane for a person who’s coming to defend and fight for his own life.

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“I am not only fighting for my right to a fair trial but for the basic human dignity that every detainee is entitled to. The current conditions at C-Max prevent me from defending myself adequately and strip me of my dignity. This legal challenge is not just for me but for all those who face similar inhumane conditions.”

He has called on authorities to address the “severe violations” immediately.

‘No Thabo Bester Act’

The Department of Correctional Services has dismissed Bester’s claims that he is receiving ill-treatment at the prison. It said that the treatment he received was appropriate for a maximum-classified inmate.

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“Everyone who is incarcerated, the state is responsible for that person. Every correctional official represents the state. If you’re housed at C-Max, you’re a maximum classified inmate and Thabo Bester is that,” spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo previously told eNCA.

This comes as the South African Correctional Services Workers Union (Sacoswu) has called for an investigation into Bester’s claims.

Bester and eight of his co-accused appeared at the High Court in the Free State on Wednesday. The matter has been postponed to February 2025.

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