More suspects arrested in Thabo Bester case

Motanyane Masukela is the fifth person to be arrested for

assisting Thabo Bester to escape from

prison. The G4S employee will join his

co accused when they apply for bail on

the third and the 4th of May .former G4S

employee sinusara CCTV operator debordi

Polo and Dr nandi pamaguduman all face

charges of aiding and abetting a convict

to escape from lawful custody as well as

defeating the ends of Justice some of

the accused also face fraud murder

asking and violating a dead body they

are remanded in custody at different

police stations around the Free State Dr

magudumana's father

was granted a 10 000 rent bail on Monday

he is the only accused who has so far

been granted bail the state has

indicated that it will oppose bail for

all the others

appeared to be for the court where he

was joined to that case of mature and

RSS I choose to number six he is

currently facing charges of assisting an

inmate to escape from lawful custody and

defeating the ends of Justice we made a

request that the matter be postponed

two four and five three and four May

where you'll be joined with the others

in in their bail application

bester and the others are all expected

back in court on the 16th of May.

The latest suspect to be arrested in connection with the brazen escape of Thabo Bester will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.

He joins the four other people who are facing charges linked to aiding the convicted killer and rapist to escape from prison.

Bester fled from the G4S-run Mangaung maximum security prison in May last year where he was serving a life sentence.

The 51-year-old man was arrested at the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein, the very prison that Bester escaped from in May last year.

He’s been charged with assisting an inmate to escape and defeating the ends of justice.

His arrest brings to five the number of people charged for aiding Bester escape.

Earlier this week, celebrity doctor and Bester’s accomplice, Nandipha Magudumana, sat alongside her father in the dock on charges of aiding and abetting a prison escape.

The man, who will be named once he has made a court appearance, is one of two G4S employees arrested for Bester’s escape, joining Senohe Matsoara, a night duty supervisor.

The fourth accused is Teboho Lipholo, who was contracted to install and maintain cameras at the facility.

Meanwhile The Association of Private Security Owners of South Africa (Tapsosa) has called for the contract between the Correctional Services Department and security company G4S to be terminated with immediate effect.

The association was on Thursday briefing the public on the role played by the security company in the elaborate escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester from prison.

It’s understood Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola will announce this week whether the contract his department entered into with G4S will be cancelled.

G4S came under fire after Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in a ruse that involved his cell going up in flames.

Thabo Bester’s escape from the privately run prison, which is managed by G4S, raised concerns about the state of public-private correctional facilities in South Africa.

Members of the Association of Private Security Owners of South Africa seemingly battled to agree on whether or not security company G4S should take accountability for Bester’s sophisticated escape.

Some members were opposed to calls for the government to cancel its contract with G4S, saying that it will only overburden the correctional services system.

However, Tapsosa president Jones Maphalaphathwa said the British multinational security company failed on its mandate.

"This company that has been contracted has not taken responsibility. If it was a local company to be involved in such a case you would imagine what would happen by now."

Tapsosa said there's a glaring omission from the company that more employees at the Mangaung Correctional Centre appeared to have known about Bester’s prison break.