Negligence and inadequate management facilitated the controversial escape of murderer and rapist Thabo Bester from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.
Documents submitted by private security company G4S, which manages the prison, in parliament on Wednesday revealed a series of incompetencies that made MPs believe that the company may have failed to fulfill its mandate, and could have breached its contract with the Department of Correctional Services in its conduct.
G4S was presenting its account to MPs regarding the escape.
The incident gained widespread attention after a journalist discovered that Bester, who was believed to have died in a cell fire, was actually alive and seen shopping with his accomplice, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, at a Woolworth’s store in Sandton.
Joseph Monyate, the centre director at Mangaung Correctional Centre, told the parliamentary committee that a cellphone and a laptop were found in Bester’s cell, however, it came to light only the cellphone was not authorised.
ANC MP Xola Nqola questioned why Bester had access to a laptop, to which the company said inmates who are registered with accredited institutions of learning have access to laptops for studying purposes.
According to G4S, “Bester was registered with Damelin” where he was studying “graphic design”. Monyate revealed that the laptop was Bester’s personal gadget.
Nqola asked him how Bester was allowed to have a personal laptop, and he said according to his knowledge, student inmates use correctional services-issued laptops, not their own.
“Why was he allowed to have a personal laptop when he ran the risk of using it as a tool to commit his crimes?” he asked.
Upon discovery that Bester is alive and had escaped, it was reported that he was running a multimillion-rand scam while serving a life sentence for rape and murder.
He posed as the chairman of 21st Century Media, a scam event and production company which was made to look like a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.
Pictures and video footage of a glitzy launch of 21st Century Media held at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton in 2018 later emerged on social media, showing an event attended by members of Johannesburg high society, including celebrities.
The audience was informed that the company’s chairman, “Tom Motsepe”, would join the meeting via video call from New York.
However, unbeknownst to those present, the person appearing on the big screen was actually Bester, speaking from prison.
During the conference, Bester was seen wearing a suit and a designer watch and standing in front of a white wall.
A highlights video made after the event included a clip of the audience singing “happy birthday” to “Tom Motsepe”.
Interestingly, the conference took place on June 13 2018, which also happened to be Bester’s birthday.
The questioning by MPs on the events leading up to and following Bester’s escape was just the beginning of the company’s troubles. Throughout the day, G4S representatives attempted to shield the company from further embarrassment.
Cobus Groenewoud, G4S regional commercial director for Africa, admitted that the Mangaung Correctional Centre lacked the necessary expertise and authority to conduct criminal or forensic investigations.
He further disclosed that after Bester’s escape, three investigations were launched, one by the prison, another by the police, and a third one by the Department of Justice and Correctional Services.
Groenewoud clarified that the prison’s investigation was solely a compliance investigation initiated by G4S to assess the staff’s actions leading up to and following the events of May 3.
The compliance investigation evaluated the staff’s actions against the Correctional Services Act and strict procedures while conducting interviews with staff members and examining registers, documents, and CCTV footage.
“We had to analyse the actions of staff leading up to events of May 3 and the days that followed. We had to test our actions against the Correctional Services Act,” Groenewoud said.
“We had to check conduct against stringent procedures we have. We conducted interviews with staff members and looked at the registers, documents, and looked at the CCTV footage … all of which was shared with SAPS [the police].”
The findings from the investigation were shared with the SAPS.
Groenewoud said he noted three significant findings: the video cameras for the administrative building and Broadway functions on the same circuit were not recording footage during the period between 7.38pm on May 2 and 4.11am on May 3, a power interruption to the circuit’s recording device was reported by the external security system service provider on May 4, and two central control room officials and an on-site night-duty supervisor failed to follow prison policies and procedures.
“There were no other power interruptions at MCC [Mangaung Correctional Centre] recorded during this time.
“Two central control room officials failed to follow clearly established MCC policies and procedures and did not monitor and report events in a timely manner.
“The on-site night-duty supervisor on 2/3 May failed to follow clear and well-established MCC policies and procedures, failing to complete inspection rounds, [also] failing to attend to incidents on time.
“Distant CCTV footage shows two unidentified figures running towards the administrative building where CCTV cameras were temporarily not recording,” he said.
ANC MP Anthea Ramolobeng accused G4S and prison management of avoiding accountability, saying they kept on providing inadequate reports.
However, Groenewoud maintained that G4S had fully cooperated with all investigations.
Said Ramolobeng: “There seems to be no management oversight, he [Groenewoud] keeps on saying ‘we have done a lot’ … there is no accountability.”
Events leading up to the escape, as detailed by G4S
On April 30 2022, Bester requested to be transferred to a single cell in the Broadway section for his safety. The Department of Correctional Services approved the request, and Bester was placed in Cell 35.
On May 2, after the day’s final roll call, all cells, including Bester’s, were locked for the night, and the security system was confirmed to be operational by a technician. Two central control room officers monitored the security system on night-shift duty.
On May 3 at 4am, a fire was discovered in Cell 35 and was extinguished by prison staff. The cell was cordoned off, and prison management and the Department of Correctional Services management were notified.
A nurse, a department controller, and the prison’s operations director arrived on the scene. A doctor examined the body and certified Bester dead.
The area commissioner and the prison’s duty director of the department arrived at 6am, followed by the police at 6.55am.
At 10.30am, the police’s forensics team arrived, examined the scene, and took photographs. The body was removed for a post-mortem, and Bester’s alleged possessions were retrieved by the prison staff.
After the final roll call on May 3, at 7.30pm, all inmates were accounted for.
On May 4, a forensic pathologist certified the notice of death for Bester, and concerns were raised by the prison’s administration staff regarding a smell of petrol emanating from Bester’s alleged possessions.
The prison’s operations director reported the smell to the police, who returned on May 5 to inspect the possessions.
On May 6, the Department of Home Affairs issued a death certificate for Bester, and on May 8, the police’s forensics team returned to collect all the belongings recovered from Cell 35, including a laptop and a cellphone.
The hearing continues on Thursday …
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