Bester amassed millions in prison through tender kickbacks – Thobakgale

Convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester allegedly amassed millions of rands while behind bars by demanding 30% cuts from infrastructure projects, Correctional Services National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale has revealed.

Thobakgale said Bester had people working with him outside prison who helped him secure money from government-related projects, particularly in the Free State.

Speaking during an interview with award-winning journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika on his podcast Unpopular Opinion, Thobakgale said he did not believe claims that Bester could not afford a decent lawyer during his trial, which resulted in Legal Aid having to represent him.

"I don't buy the story that he doesn't afford a lawyer. I don't buy that story. Inside, he was able to amass those millions because, again, he had people that he was working with outside," Thobakgale said.

He said one of the activities Bester was involved in was demanding 30% from infrastructure projects.

"One of the things that Bester was doing was to go for the 30% on infrastructure projects. You would know that a particular tender is going to go out, especially in the Free State. Before he escaped, we actually were investigating that," he said.

Thobakgale also revealed that he had suspected Bester had escaped from prison on the day the fire was reported at the Mangaung Correctional Centre, where he was incarcerated.

He said he had received information from sources who allegedly warned him about Bester's escape plan before it happened.

Thobakgale said he was convinced Bester had escaped but could not immediately make the information public because the police had to establish what had happened through investigations and a post-mortem examination.

He said he eventually took the risk of announcing Bester's escape at a media briefing, despite not having the report he needed to support his suspicions.

"I'm the only person who announced the escape," he said.

Thobakgale said he had even discussed the decision with the minister at the time, who questioned whether he was certain about making such an announcement without the supporting report.

He said the circumstances surrounding Bester's escape had raised serious questions about how he could have escaped while a body was allegedly used to stage his death.

"What was worrying me is how does someone get to escape with the body of someone being used, and then with everybody involved like that?" he said.

Thobakgale said he had to go through boxes of documents to trace Bester's history and understand how he had managed to build his criminal networks.

"I was like, no, no, there's something wrong here. I need to understand this character," he said.

Bester and his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana were arrested in Tanzania in April 2023 for escaping from custody.