The bail application of the five accused, charged for aiding Thabo Bester, left, in his prison escape, took place on Thursday and Friday this week. Images: Twitter @Am_Blujay
New evidence of Thabo Bester’s escape and how Katlego Bareng’s decoy body ended up in his cell came to light at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court this week as a police witness took the stand.
According to various media reports, the testimony of the investigating officer Tieho Flyman contained information reportedly provided in a confession made by a prison CCTV technician who was paid R40 000 instead of the promised R2.5 million for his “blind-eye bribe”.
The media was on Thursday and Friday barred from recording or broadcasting live the bail proceedings.
The police evidence was presented over a two-day period set aside for the bail application of the five former G4S employees, charged with aiding and abetting Bester in his escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre on 3 May 2022.
Former G4S guards Senohe Matsoara, Motenyani Masukela, Tieho Makhotsa, and Natassja Jansen, as well as Integritron Integrated Solutions technician Teboho Lipholo, appeared again in court on Friday after their bail hearing rolled over from Thursday.
They have all indicated that they intend to plead not guilty.
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Dr Nandipha Magudumana — the girlfriend and accomplice of convicted murderer and “Facebook rapist” Bester — was the only one of the accused who provisionally abandoned her bail application on Thursday, as reported by The Citizen.
According to her lawyer, Adv Frans Dlamini, “new information” has come to light which still needs to be examined.
GroundUp reported on Flyman’s testimony on how Bareng‘s body was smuggled into the maximum security prison, as well as how thousands of rands changed hands before and after the escape.
CCTV technician Lipholo reportedly revealed his involvement in the escape, as well as the roles of his co-accused and how much each of them got paid, to a police officer.
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The 30-year-old Katlego Bereng’s body was set alight in Bester’s prison cell to fake the Facebook rapist’s death.
After Bareng’s body was placed in the cell, Bester escaped by walking out of the prison disguised in a G4S uniform which was allegedly given to him by Matsoara.
According to eNCA, the five accused will reappear in court on Tuesday 16 May, alongside Bester, Magudumana and her father.
The matter is expected to be postponed to a later date pending further investigations.
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