Thabo Bester: Cosatu calls on government to revisit privatisation of prisons

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called for the naming and shaming of those who lobbied for the privatisation of prisons, following Thabo Bester’s scandal.

A riveting expose by GroundUp revealed that Bester allegedly escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in the Free State, which is managed by the private security company, G4S under questionable circumstances. 

NOW READ: State can be sued if Bester harms public while on the run

June 2022

The publication reported that on 11 June 2022, a prison warder at Mangaung Correctional Centre sent an email to the Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Phathekile Holomisa, asking: “Are you aware that the inmate who ‘allegedly’ burnt to death at Mangaung Correctional Center was supposedly assisted to escape by the Mangaung Correctional Center & Department of Correctional Services officials at the prison”.

Bester was serving a life sentence for murder and a series of rapes.

The Department of Correctional Services reported that Bester died in Mangaung Correctional Centre at about 3.35am on 3 May 2022.

READ MORE: Thabo Bester: Police open murder case against Facebook rapist

Answers and closure

“The government must explain how this happened and [how] will [they] prevented it from recurring. It must also account for whose body was found in Bester’s cell. 

“Bester needs to be found and returned to the cell where he belongs. Whistleblowers who testified against his horrendous crimes in court need to be protected by the SAPS Witness Protection,” said Cosatu in a statement.

The union also said that it was a scandal that private companies continue to be given huge amounts of taxpayers’ money to profit from a responsibility that belongs to the state which inherently amounts to selling out of integrity and morality in exchange for the maximisation of profits.

“These private prisons generate revenue by exploiting workers in some of the most unethical conditions, and with their focus, only on profits the needs of prisoners and workers are habitually overlooked and underfunded.”

“It was unethical, in the first place, to give this British-Danish private security company that provides services and equipment to Israeli prisons, checkpoints, the Apartheid Wall, and the Israeli police taxpayer’s money, when the country has a clear position on countries that practice Apartheid,” said Cosatu.

Privatisation must be revisited

Cosatu has also reiterated that the government cut ties with G4S and that the correctional services and has called on the Department of Correctional Services to revisit its decision to privatise prisons in the country. 

“Correctional Services remain a matter of national security and should be treated as such. The government must honour its previous commitment to insourcing all security functions. This will save the state’s badly needed resources currently being lost to profiteering and ensure that those in authority can be held accountable by the public through Parliament.”

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