News / Local
Zimbabwe man arrested in South Africa over Thabo Bester escape
12 Jun 2023 at 06:27hrs | Views
A ZIMBABWEAN man has been arrested in South Africa in connection with the escape of Thabo Bester from a South African prison.
According to the South African media, the man's identity was not revealed, but he is 31 years old.
TimesLive quoting South Africa's police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the Zimbabwean man was arrested yesterday in Johannesburg.
"At this stage, he faces a charge of assisting an inmate to escape from lawful custody. The suspect is likely to face more charges," said Brig Mathe.
He said so far nine people have been arrested in connection with the case.
Brig Mathe said the suspect is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court tomorrow with law enforcement agents not ruling out arrests of more suspects.
Bester's case attracted global attention following his escape from prison and was trailed and arrested in Tanzania with his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana.
They were arrested alongside a Mozambican called Zacharia Alberto believed to be the driver who helped them cross different borders during their escape.
The pair is said to have used the Beitbridge Border Post during their foiled escape and a Mercedes Benz worth about R3,5 million that the pair used in their escape was impounded at the border post connecting South Africa and Zimbabwe.
According to media reports south of the Limpopo River, (Thabo) Bester skipped the border to Zimbabwe to lay low after escaping from the Mangaung Maximum Security Prison where he allegedly paid R5 million to at least nine prison warders who helped him escape.
The man is alleged to have faked his death to escape from the prison in Bloemfontein.
Bester is being detained in the C-Max section of Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre.
He was known as the "Facebook rapist" for using the social networking site to lure his victims.
Bester was serving life in prison in 2012 for the raping and murdering his model girlfriend Nomfundo Tyhulu.
In 2011, he was found guilty of raping and robbing two other women.
According to the South African media, the man's identity was not revealed, but he is 31 years old.
TimesLive quoting South Africa's police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the Zimbabwean man was arrested yesterday in Johannesburg.
"At this stage, he faces a charge of assisting an inmate to escape from lawful custody. The suspect is likely to face more charges," said Brig Mathe.
He said so far nine people have been arrested in connection with the case.
Brig Mathe said the suspect is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court tomorrow with law enforcement agents not ruling out arrests of more suspects.
Bester's case attracted global attention following his escape from prison and was trailed and arrested in Tanzania with his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana.
The pair is said to have used the Beitbridge Border Post during their foiled escape and a Mercedes Benz worth about R3,5 million that the pair used in their escape was impounded at the border post connecting South Africa and Zimbabwe.
According to media reports south of the Limpopo River, (Thabo) Bester skipped the border to Zimbabwe to lay low after escaping from the Mangaung Maximum Security Prison where he allegedly paid R5 million to at least nine prison warders who helped him escape.
The man is alleged to have faked his death to escape from the prison in Bloemfontein.
Bester is being detained in the C-Max section of Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre.
He was known as the "Facebook rapist" for using the social networking site to lure his victims.
Bester was serving life in prison in 2012 for the raping and murdering his model girlfriend Nomfundo Tyhulu.
In 2011, he was found guilty of raping and robbing two other women.
Source - The Chronicle
