Prominent South African prison in a state of disarray

Four years after Thabo Bester’s infamous prison escape, the facility that was holding him is in a state of disarray. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on correctional services, Janho Engelbrecht, revealed details about the Mangaung Correctional Centre following an oversight visit.

The Manguang prison became the subject of scrutiny after convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester escaped from the facility in 2022.

At the time, the prison was operated by G4S, a private security company, but in the wake of Bester’s escape, the Department of Correctional Services was ordered to take over.

Engelbrecht said this transition has not been smooth, with staff shortages and uncertainty about facilities creating significant challenges.

According to the Department of Correctional Services, 200 G4S staff members from the prison had been absorbed into the takeover and remained at the facility.

Engelbrecht said, despite this claim, it is not clear whether the department had filled the other vacancies in the prison.

These vacancies totalled 668 and did not include the G4S staff whom the Correctional Services Department hired.

A former Department of Correctional Services staff member also said that 72 department staff members who were meant to be at the prison were not stationed there.

Engelbrecht voiced concerns about the Mangaung prison’s infrastructure, noting conflicting reports on whether certain parts of the facility are operational.

This includes the centre’s kitchen, which some reports say was disassembled, while others claim that it is fully functioning.

Engelbrecht’s main concern was that members of parliament were blocked from entering the prison when they arrived to conduct an oversight visit.

He says when the MPs arrived, the prison was placed on lockdown, and G4S staff were denied entry when they arrived for work.

These G4S staff were meant to be absorbed by the Department of Correctional Services during its takeover of the prison.

Bester’s escape from Mangaung

Engelbrecht said the confusion and staffing issues surrounding the Mangaung prison takeover could lead to another escape.

Thabo Bester famously escaped from this prison in 2022, with help from corrupt prison staff and doctors.

Bester was able to escape by faking his own death, placing a corpse in his prison cell before burning it and leaving through an emergency exit.

He was helped at every stage of this escape, with celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana smuggling the corpse into the prison.

Magudumana also helped hide Bester after the escape and fled with him out of the country after it was discovered that he was still alive.

Bester’s plot was uncovered after he was spotted in a shopping centre in Sandton in 2023, along with Magudumana.

This discovery was then paired with DNA evidence from the prison, showing that the body found in the prison was not Bester.

Before these discoveries, the Department of Correctional Services and the prison both maintained that Bester had passed away in his cell.

He subsequently fled the country and was caught in Tanzania before being extradited back to South Africa.

Bester’s escape plan relied heavily on others’ help, which raised concerns about Mangaung prison and its operations.

Engelbrecht says the situation at the prison today is no better than it was when Bester was housed there.

He said the Correctional Services Department’s takeover of the facility’s operations has led to major issues in its management.

“The reality on the ground is one of confusion, lockdown, and deliberate obstruction of lawful oversight by Members of Parliament,” he said.

“High-profile escapes may follow where prison operations are so severely compromised.”

He said it is important to know the status of the Department of Correctional Services’ takeover of the prison to prevent another “Bester-style” escape.