Tracking Thabo Bester (2024) s01e04 Episode Script

They finally
identified who it was
that burned down in the cell,
that was allegedly Thabo Bester.
FOOTBALL, JOKES,
SINGING.. TILL HE DIED.
whose body was finally
been laid to rest.
THE BODY, THE DECOY.
WHOSE CHARRED REMAINS
WERE IN THAT CELL?
FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR
THERE WAS NO NAME.
OF COURSE, THERE WAS NO FACE.
NOW WE HAD A NAME,
KATLEGO BERENG.
His mother is in a total state.
Completely emotional.
The sad part is that
Katlego's family
has been thinking that this man
has been missing all of this time.
PEOPLE ARE ONLY
CONCENTRATING ON THE CASE,
BUT NOT ON HOW MY SON DIED.
TO FIND YOUR FAMILY
MEMBER'S BODY
CHARRED BEYOND RECOGNITION
IN A PRISON CELL.
Guy, the trauma.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE
TO SEE THE BODY?
IT WAS BAD.
IT WAS BAD BECAUSE HE WAS BURNED
BEYOND RECOGNITION, YOU KNOW?
IT ONLY TOOK A FEELING OF
A PARENT TO A CHILD TO SAY,
"YES, THIS IS MY SON."
If I can see him again
I will still express
the same love.
WE HAD KATLEGO WHEN WE WERE
TOO YOUNG, MONICA AND I.
AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW, WE LOS
TOUCH WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT.
BUT I MADE IT A POINT WHEN I STARTED
WORKING THAT I MUST LOOK FOR HIM.
UP UNTIL I FOUND HIM IN 2008.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE
TO BE REUNITED?
IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL, YOU
KNOW, KNOWING THAT, FINALLY,
I'M UNITED WITH MY FIRST BORN.
NOW I HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
AS THE FATHER, YOU KNOW,
TO HELP MONICA TO RAISE HIM.
I WAS SAVING ONE
CHILD. KATLEGO BERENG.
I DIDN'T REALISE HE
WAS YOUR ONLY CHILD.
IT WAS ONLY KATLEGO BERENG. MM.
FOR US, WE THOUGHT MAYBE,
HE JUST WENT SOMEWHERE
TO LOOK FOR A JOB,
HE JUST WANT TO, YOU
KNOW, TO SURPRISE US,
AND HE WAS SOMEBODY WHO ALWAYS, YOU
KNOW, PUT SOMETHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE WAS
NO LONGER ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
THEN MY WIFE SAID TO ME,
"I'VE SEARCHED FOR HIM FOR
A WHILE ON SOCIAL MEDIA,
I DON'T SEE HIM
POSTING ANYTHING."
I DIDN'T, YOU KNOW,
FORESEE THE WORST.
BUT I SAID, "AS RESPONSIBLE PARENTS
WE HAVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING."
I THEN ENCOURAGED MONICA TO GO
AND OPEN A MISSING PERSON REPORT.
Katlego Mpholo's family has
rejected the police report
that says he collapsed in town
and was taken to hospital.
HOW MUCH TIME WENT BY TO
THE TRUTHS BEING KNOWN?
THAT, "HEY, THE PERSON WHO
ACTUALLY BURNT IN THAT CELL
WAS NOT THABO BESTER."
AND THOSE WHO KNEW
CHOSE TO IGNORE.
BECAUSE THERE WERE
PEOPLE WHO KNEW.
THIS WASN'T LEAKED TO
GROUNDUP BY AN INMATE.
IT TOOK A FORMER
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT JUDGE
TO BLOW THE LID ON THE STORY.
JUDGE EDWIN CAMERON WAS
THE INITIAL WHISTLE-BLOWER
THAT LED US DOWN THIS PATH.
FROM THE BEGINNING,
MY EDITOR NATHAN,
LET ME KNOW THAT OUR SOURCE
WAS JUSTICE EDWIN CAMERON.
THE VERY FIRST RED
FLAG CAME WITHIN DAYS
OF THE ALLEGED DEATH OF THABO
BESTER IN MANGAUNG MAXIMUM PRISON.
AND THAT WAS THE
STRANGENESS OF IT.
YOU DON'T EASILY COMMI
SUICIDE BY SELF INCINERATION
INSIDE THE MOST SECURE WING
OF ONE THE THREE MOST SECURE
PRISONS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
SO WE WERE ALERTED TO IT.
WE WERE CONDUCTING
OUR INVESTIGATION.
WE KEPT THE DEPARTMEN
OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
AND THE MINISTER INFORMED.
I WROTE TO BOTH THE NATIONAL
COMMISSIONER AND TO THE MINISTER.
BUT NOTHING WAS HAPPENING.
AND BY SEPTEMBER I STARTED
ALERTING NATHAN GEFFEN,
FOUNDER/EDITOR OF GROUNDUP.
ON THE 12TH OF OCTOBER I
SENT HIM THE FIRST LEAK.
This astonishing story
was uncovered by online
non-profit news agency GroundUp.
I'm joined now by their
editor, Nathan Geffen.
Why has it taken so
long for the authorities
to make sure that that body that
was unrecognisable was indeed him?
It really seems to be shambolic.
They're failing to answer questions
that are of immense public interest.
The Department of
Correctional Services
surely has quite a bit of
egg on their face over this.
And I think this is
incompetence or negligence
or corruption of
the highest degree.
I DID NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE
THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, OR G4S,
OR THE SAPS WOULD
MOUNT A VIGOROUS, SWIF
RESPONSIVE CAMPAIGN OF ACTION,
AND I KNEW THAT WE HAD TO
INVOLVE INDEPENDENT MEDIA.
JUSTICE CAMERON IS A
VERY IMPORTANT PERSON
IN SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIETY.
HE'S CONTRIBUTED TREMENDOUSLY.
AND HE'S CURRENTLY THE INSPECTING
JUDGE OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES.
SO HE'S THE HEAD OF THE
JUDICIAL INSPECTORATE, JICS,
WHICH HAS A MANDATE
TO INVESTIGATE
ANY UNNATURAL DEATHS
IN PRISON FACILITIES,
TO OVERSEE THE
TREATMENT OF INMATES.
WE ARE VERY CONCERNED WHEN WE
GET INFORMATION FROM PRISONERS.
WE SEE PRISONERS AS BEING
OUR EARLY WARNING SYSTEM.
I CONFERRED WITH
JUDGE NOKUTHULA DANISO
OF THE FREE STATE HIGH COURT,
WHO THE JUDGE PRESIDEN
HAD SENT TO MANGAUNG
WHEN HE GOT A LETTER FROM ONE OF
THE PRISONERS RAISING THE ALARM,
TELLING THIS INCREDIBLE STORY THA
THABO BESTER HAD ACTUALLY ESCAPED.
THERE WAS SOMETHING
VERY UNTOWARD HAPPENING.
THE LITTLE MORSEL THAT MADE ME
THINK THAT HE'D ESCAPED WAS,
I THINK THE MISSTEP THA
DR MAGUDUMANA COMMITTED.
WHICH WAS THAT SHE
WANTED THE BODY.
TO DO AWAY WITH
IT, TO GET IT OUT.
TO MAKE SURE THAT ITS DNA
WASN'T GOING TO TELL TALES.
SOME ENTERPRISING CONSTABLE, WHO
DESERVES HONOUR, IN BLOEMFONTEIN,
SAID, "I'M NOT RELEASING THE
BODY 'CAUSE I'M SUSPICIOUS."
WHO ACTUALLY DID HIS JOB. AND
WENT TO ALERT HIS SUPERIOR
ABOUT THIS STRANGE
PERSON WHO WAS CLAIMING,
YOU KNOW, THE THIRD
BODY IN A ROW.
YOU KNOW? BUY THAT MAN A BELLS.
SHE DECIDED TO GO TO COURT.
BIG MISTAKE.
HE WAS ALREADY OUT BY THEN.
WHEN SHE WENT TO COURT, SHE
WROTE AN AFFIDAVIT FULL OF LIES.
LIES ABOUT HOW SHE MET THABO BESTER,
LIES ABOUT WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP WAS.
LIES ABOUT EVERY DETAIL.
WHEN WE GOT HOLD
OF THAT AFFIDAVIT,
ALL THE LOOSE THREADS
STARTED COMING APART.
I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED
THE HAWKS, THE SAPS,
THE DEPARTMENT, AND G4S
TO SPRING INTO ACTION,
TO FOLLOW UP, WHERE
WAS THABO BESTER?
WHO WAS THIS DR MAGUDUMANA?
IF YOU FIND OU
WHERE SHE'S RESIDING,
"HEY, PRESTO, MIRACLE.
HERE'S THABO BESTER."
SO MANGUANG CORRECTIONAL CENTRE IS
A PRIVATE PRISON OPERATED BY G4S.
G4S IS A MULTI-NATIONAL
SECURITY COMPANY.
THEY'RE MASSIVE.
THEY EMPLOY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
THEY'RE NOT JUST IN THE
PRIVATE PRISONS' SPACE,
THEY'RE ALSO IN THE
PRIVATE SECURITY SPACE,
THEY IN THE CASH
IN TRANSIT SPACE.
THEY'VE GOT A BIT OF A SKETCHY
TRACK RECORD INTERNATIONALLY.
SOME OF THEIR PRISONS IN
THE UK HAVE BEEN CLOSED,
OR THEIR CONTRACTS
HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY
AFTER EVIDENCE OF HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSE HAS EMERGED.
I think many of us
didn't even know
there were private prisons.
So in my mind I'm like,
"What's the difference between
government and private business?"
The one has to make money.
PRIVATE PRISONS,
THEY'RE THERE TO MAKE MONEY OFF
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
AND THEY GET PAID SOMEWHAT THREE
TIMES THE AMOUNT FOR A PRISONER
THAN A PRISONER IN
THE NORMAL SYSTEM.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN PAYING
ABOUT R45 MILLION A MONTH
TO G4S FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF MANGAUNG.
AND TO DATE HAS PAID ABOU
R7 BILLION ON THE PRISON,
AND IF THE CONTRAC
CONTINUES UNTIL 2026,
THE GOVERNMENT EXPECTS
TO PAY ABOUT R9 BILLION.
SOUTH AFRICA HAS A MASSIVE
PROBLEM WITH OUR PRISON SYSTEM.
AND IT'S ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS,
FROM A SOCIO-ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
THROUGH TO A JUSTICE PERSPECTIVE
THROUGH TO A
FUNDING PERSPECTIVE.
SOME ESTIMATE THAT OUR
PRISONS ARE 140 PERCENT FULL.
WHEN YOU'VE GOT THAT ENVIRONMEN
THE PRISON WARDERS HAVE BECOME
VERY SCARED FOR THEIR LIVES.
THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE.
THE DCS, THE
GOVERNMENT PRISONS,
THEY KEPT PLUS-MINUS 40 TO 50
INMATES IN THE ONE SECTION.
WHILE I WAS WORKING THERE I
USED TO CALL THEM "STREETS".
BUT, YOU KNOW, I
PREFER TO WORK IN DCS
BECAUSE IT'S A SAFER
PLACE THAN G4S.
BECAUSE MOST OF THE "STREETS"
WILL BE CARRYING 64 INMATES.
ONE IS EQUALS TO
64 INMATES. REALLY.
YOU ARE ALONE, THEY'LL KILL YOU.
WARDENS OFTEN GET THREATENED.
SO, YOU KNOW, INMATES WILL SAY,
"I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE AND I KNOW
WHERE YOUR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL,
AND I HAVE LOTS OF
CONTACTS OUTSIDE OF THERE,
SO YOU DO THIS THING
OF ME OR ELSE."
AND I THINK THAT'S MORE THE
REASON WHY THE SYSTEM FAILS.
I THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENED IN
THIS CASE IS A GRIEVOUS INSTANCE,
IT'S THE MOST ASTOUNDING
INSTANCE, OF THIS KIND OF ESCAPE.
BUT IT IS SYMPTOMATIC OF PROBLEMS
THROUGHOUT THE PRISON SYSTEM.
G4S AND BLOEMFONTEIN
CORRECTIONAL CONTRACTS
WERE INVITED TO
COME TO PARLIAMEN
BY THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE OF
CORRECTIONAL SERVICES AND JUSTICE,
TO COME AND ACCOUN
AND GIVE A PRESENTATION
OF THEIR INVESTIGATIONS INTO
THE THABO BESTER ESCAPE,
AND TO SAY WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
G4S HAD SENT US A LETTER
THAT MORNING, I THINK,
OR IT WAS THE NIGH
BEFORE, TO THE CHAIRPERSON
SAYING THEY WEREN'T COMING.
THEY SAID THAT CONFIDENTIALITY
CLAUSES IN THEIR CONTRACT,
AS WELL AS IN THE
CORRECTIONAL SERVICES ACT,
PROHIBITED THEM FROM
COMING TO PARLIAMEN
WITHOUT A PARLIAMENTARY SUMMONS.
WHICH WOULD BASICALLY GRANT THEM
IMMUNITY FROM THOSE CLAUSES.
CAN PRIVATE CORPORATIONS GE
AWAY WITH THIS KIND OF THING
WITHOUT GIVING ANY ANSWERS?
THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD.
I am absolutely
outraged that G4S
thumbed their nose at a
committee of Parliament.
A portfolio committee of Parliament,
to which they should account.
It's very clear that they
have something to hide.
WE CAN'T GO AHEAD WITHOU
THEM, THERE'S NO POINT.
THE KIND OF ANSWERS WE
NEED, THEY MUST BE PRESENT,
AND POSTPONE THIS
MEETING AND SUMMONS THEM.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU
WERE WHEN YOU HEARD THE NEWS?
I DON'T KNOW HOW
THIS IS GONNA SOUND,
- BUT I WAS ACTUALLY SLEEPING,
- AND THEN I WOKE UP
- SHOULD I SAY THAT?
- JA. THAT'S PERFECT.
OKAY. I WAS WOKEN UP BY
A YOUTUBE NOTIFICATION.
ONE SATURDAY MORNING WE WOKE UP QUITE
SURPRISED TO SEE A TWEET GOING AROUND
THAT BESTER AND MAGUDUMANA
HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN TANZANIA.
In breaking news. Rapist
and murderer, Thabo Bester,
has been arrested.
last night in
Arusha, in Tanzania.
It's believed his partner,
Dr Nandipha Magudumana,
was also apprehended.
PICTURES STARTED CIRCULATING
UPON THEIR ARREST,
AND BESTER WAS WEARING
A WHITE HEAD SCARF.
What is this with a
dishcloth on your head?
Just tell me. Is
that a disguise?
This is what you look like.
This story just keeps
getting f♪♪♪ing crazier.
Apparently they were
in Tanzania illegally.
Also caught with a bunch
of passports on them.
SEVERAL PASSPORTS WERE
FOUND ON THEIR POSSESSION,
INCLUDING A PASSPORT BELONGING TO
DR PASHY, ONE OF THEIR SCAM VICTIMS.
A PASSPORT BELONGING TO
NANDIPHA MAGUDUMANA HERSELF.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, BESTER
DIDN'T HAVE A REAL IDENTITY,
SO HE WAS FOUND WITH A FAKE US
PASSPORT IN THE NAME OF TOM KELLY.
WHICH IS ALSO ONE OF THE
ALIASES HE'S USED IN THE PAST.
IT'S A VERY PROFESSIONAL, AND A
VERY CLOSE-KNIT AND SMALL COMMUNITY
THAT ACTUALLY MANUFACTURE
FAKE PASSPORTS.
SO THOSE PASSPORTS HE WAS
FOUND IN POSSESSION OF
WOULD HAVE COS
HIM A LOT OF MONEY.
THEY OBVIOUSLY WORKED
BECAUSE HE WAS ABLE TO GET INTO
TANZANIA FROM SOUTH AFRICA.
BUT THEY WEREN'T STAMPED.
VERY STRANGE.
How they left, they
left illegally.
They left the country
illegally because they
Nothing shows in any..
Whatever form of documentation
that they left the country
legally. Maybe they'll explain.
SO IT MEANS THAT EITHER THEY
DIDN'T PASS THROUGH A BORDER POST,
OR THEY PAID SOMEBODY
AT A BORDER POST,
OR THEY PAID SOMEBODY
TO MOVE THEM ACROSS
WITHOUT HAVING TO
PRODUCE THOSE PASSPORTS.
BUT WE ALL KNOW OUR BORDERS
ARE VERY, VERY POROUS.
It's a deportation,
not an extradition?
Who helped them? How did
they get out of the country?
Police are still
trying to figure out
how they're gonna deport
Dr Nandipha from Tanzania
to face justice for a warrant
that she has in South Africa.
THEY HAD TO PLAY
IT QUITE CAREFULLY
BECAUSE WHEN SOMEONE'S
ARRESTED IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
AND YOU WANNA BRING
THEM BACK TO FACE TRIAL,
THEY NEED TO NORMALLY
BE EXTRADITED.
Thabo Bester, on the
hand, it's a lot easier,
because he is an
escaped convicted felon,
so he's just getting
deported to come back here
to continue serving his time.
SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS THA
THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMEN
MADE AN AGREEMENT WITH
THE TANZANIAN GOVERNMEN
THAT MAGUDUMANA AND BESTER
WOULD BOTH BE DEPORTED
AND THAT THEY CAN BE TAKEN
IN A SOUTH AFRICAN PLANE.
SOUTH AFRICA IS A
FASCINATING PLACE.
OUR POLITICIANS DON'
READILY GET EMBARRASSED
BY THE FACT THAT THE COUNTRY
HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING BLACKOUTS,
ELECTRICITY POWER CUTS,
IN EXCESS OF 15 YEARS.
AND SO FLIGHTS WERE CHARTERED, HOME
AFFAIRS OFFICIALS GOT ON-BOARD.
THEY WILL LEAVE NO EXPENSE
TO TRY AND SECURE THESE TWO
BECAUSE THIS IS THE STORY
THE NATION IS TALKING ABOUT.
Why would you need to
charter a private jet?
Chairperson, simply put,
it was part of negotiations with
the officials on the other side.
So the Tanzanian's wanted
to fly to South Africa
on a private jet? Is
that what you're saying?
It's a yes or no answer.
No, I'm not going to
answer that way. No.
Then don't answer.
- You can tell us to answer yes or no.
- No, don't answer.
- Absolutely not in court here.
- It's fine.
THERE WAS A MANHUNT THAT WAS
AT A PRETTY ADVANCED STAGE.
BUT IT SEEMS THE ARREST ITSELF
WAS DONE BY TANZANIAN AUTHORITIES,
NOT BY SOUTH
AFRICAN AUTHORITIES.
SO THE POLICE WORK WAS
DONE BY THE TANZANIANS,
THEY DID THE JOB THA
THE SOUTH AFRICANS
WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DONE A YEAR
EARLIER, AND HANDED HIM OVER.
Convicted rapist and
murderer Thabo Bester,
and his accomplice Dr
Nandipha Magudumana
are actually expected to touch down
in South Africa any minute now.
NOBODY KNEW WHERE THEY
WERE GOING TO LAND.
IT WAS.. A SECRET.
WE HAD TO SNIFF OUT.
FORTUNATELY WE HAD ACCESS
TO SOME INFORMATION,
AND WE BASICALLY CAMPED OU
AT THE LANSERIA AIRPORT.
SO DID YOU STAY AWAKE
THE WHOLE NIGHT?
YES, WE DID. SO WE HAD
BEEN THERE FROM 20:00
UNTIL 16:00 THE NEX
DAY WHEN THEY ARRIVED.
Well shortly after 16:00,
the aircraft carrying Thabo Bester
and Dr Nandipha Magudumana arrived.
HE WAS THEN WHISKED
INTO THE POLICE NYALA.
Mr Bester, do you
have anything to say?!
Mr Bester, do you
have anything to say?!
I see you there.
Dr Nandipha Magudumana
walked right past us.
AND YOU WOULD'VE SEEN A VIDEO THA
HAD GONE VIRAL WHERE I ASKED HER
Dr Nandipha Magudumana, do
you have anything to say?
MAYBE FOR HER, AT THAT MOMENT,
EVERYTHING COULD'VE SUNK IN.
The reality that..
Her freedom is gone.
Escapee Mr.. Thabo Bester
or well known as Thabo Bester
with his accomplice, also known
as Dr Nandipha "Magudumalong",
with a Mozambican national,
have been arrested.
This is where Thabo Bester was
brought to under 24 hour guard.
WHEN NANDIPHA WAS APPREHENDED
WITH THABO BESTER
THERE WAS A SENSE OF RELIEF.
I CALLED MY BROTHER-IN-LAW,
NANDIPHA'S HUSBAND,
I ASKED HIM HOW HE FEELS,
HE SAID NO, HE'S RELIEVED,
BECAUSE NOW HE CAN
EXPLAIN TO THE KIDS
THAT, "MOMMY DID A
FEW WRONG THINGS,
AND SHE'S GOT A LOT OF
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER,"
WHICH IS A BIT BETTER THAN SAYING,
"NO, MOMMY IS BACK IN A BODY BAG."
Are you okay?
Okay. Do you wanna say anything?
- No.
- Okay.
Zolile Sekeleni
Nandipha Magudumana father
The reason why Dr
Nandi's dad was jailed
and is now appearing in court
is because they believe that
he helped Thabo Bester escape.
It's alleged he hired the car
that transported Bereng's body.
IT'S POSSIBLY, FOR ME,
THE MOST PUZZLING PIECE
OF THIS ENTIRE STORY.
WAS IT FOR MONEY? WAS IT FOR
ACCESS TO THE FANCY MANSION?
WAS IT FOR THE FLASHY CARS?
YOU WOULD EXPECT THA
IF NANDIPHA MAGUDUMANA
WAS GONNA GET HERSELF INVOLVED
IN SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
HER FATHER WOULD BE
THE VOICE OF REASON.
I'M VERY CROSS WITH NANDIPHA
THAT SHE GOT MY FATHER INVOLVED.
IT'S UNHEARD OF, YOU KNOW?
WE SHOULD BE THE ONES
PROTECTING OUR PARENTS.
SHE SHOULD'VE.. FEAR, DREAD.
THE DISAPPOINTMEN
OF HER FATHER.
NO, HE'S AN
ACCOMPLICE. ALLEGEDLY.
I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT IF
MY FATHER HAD BEEN ALIVE,
AND I'D ASKED HIM TO DO THA
FOR ME, HE WOULD'VE SAID NO.
AND DRAGGED ME OFF, BY MY EAR,
TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION.
MY DAD IS ALLOWED TO BE AT HOME EVEN
THOUGH HIS MOVEMENTS ARE RESTRICTED.
AND I GUESS HE'S LEARNED TO
LIVE WITH IT AT THE MOMENT.
AND WE SORT OF SPEAK EVERY DAY.
AND.. HE DOESN'T HAVE ANGER,
HE'S JUST OPTIMISTIC,
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO
BETTER DAYS, IF I MAY SAY.
AND MOSTLY CONCERNED
ABOUT MY SISTER.
SO, JA, I THINK HE'S
HE'S TAKING IT LIKE A MAN.
SEKELENI AND MATSOARA WERE CHARGED
WITH HELPING BESTER ESCAPE,
AND ARSON, BUT THEY WERE
ALSO CHARGED WITH MURDER.
Matsoara was fired
by G4S in September,
but not before boasting about a
brand-new car before Bester's escape.
Here is Thabo Bester's ID.
DR AARON MOTSOALEDI, THE
HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER,
GIVES THABO BESTER AN ID.
THABO BESTER HAS BEEN
UNDOCUMENTED FOR OVER 30 YEARS,
AND YET IT TOOK THE DEPARTMEN
OF HOME AFFAIRS A MATTER OF DAYS
TO ISSUE BOTH THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE
AND AN IDENTITY DOCUMEN
THAT IS PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC.
SO IT'S ALMOST AS IF THEY USED
THIS OPPORTUNITY AS A PR STUN
TO SHOW THAT THEY'VE DONE
SOMETHING GOOD AND POSITIVE
WHEN THERE ARE OTHER
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
STILL WAITING FOR ASSISTANCE FROM
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS,
INCLUDING CHILDREN SO
THAT JUST MADE ME ANGRY.
THIS CASE HAS BEEN IMPORTAN
IN TERMS OF DEMONSTRATING
HOW INTRINSICALLY URGEN
ISSUES OF DOCUMENTATION ARE.
EVEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE
TRYING TO ACCESS DOCUMENTS,
IT IS THE DEPARTMENT STANDING IN THE
WAY OF THEM GETTING THOSE DOCUMENTS.
IT'S THE SAD REALITY
IN SOUTH AFRICA
THAT THE BUREAUCRATIC
FAILURES AND BARRIERS
THAT STATE DEPARTMENTS
PRESENT TO PEOPLE
WHO ARE LEGITIMATELY
TRYING TO ACCESS SERVICES
DOES FORCE THEM TO THE
PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE,
WHICH IS THE PATH OF
CORRUPTION AND ILLEGALITY.
People go mad for this one.
Look, everyone was
like, "Oh Thabo Bester."
AND HAVE YOU GUYS HAD A MOMEN
TO CRACK A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE
TOGETHER OR A HIGH FIVE OR
YES, WE DID, YESTERDAY
IN THE OFFICE.
- YES.
- AND MARECIA HAD A FEW COCKTAILS.
IT'S FAKE NEWS. FAKE NEWS.
AND SO DO YOU GUYS, DO
YOU STILL LIKE EACH OTHER
AFTER THIS YEAR
OF WORK TOGETHER?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "STILL"?
- DID WE EVER?
- JA.
THAT'S THE QUESTION.
IT'S BEEN A LOT,
BUT I AM THANKFUL THAT THE
BOOK IS FINALLY COMPLETED.
AND IT'S OUT THERE,
AND IT'S IN STORES.
IT STILL FEELS A BIT SURREAL WHEN
PEOPLE SEND ME PHOTOS OF BOOK STORES,
AND THEN I SEE THE
THABO BESTER BOOK.
DID YOU GUYS THINK THA
YOU WOULD GET A BOOK DEAL
- BEFORE YOU TURNED 30?
- NO.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. I HAD PLANNED TO
WRITE A BOOK BY THE TIME I'M 70.
SO THAT I CAN SORT OF
DEPOSIT ALL OF MY WEALTH
OF KNOWLEDGE IN THAT BOOK.
I DID NOT EXPECT TO BE WRITING
ANYTHING UNDER 30 AT ALL.
MARECIA AND DANIEL, THEY
DID A VERY THOROUGH JOB.
THEY WENT AROUND CHECKING UP EVERY
FACT BEFORE THE FIRST STORY APPEARED.
JA, I THINK GROUNDUP HAS DONE
FANTASTIC WORK IN GENERAL
IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM.
AND I THINK IN
THIS PARTICULAR
IT'LL BE REMEMBERED FOR
THIS PARTICULAR STORY.
I THINK THIS STORY SHOWS THE
IMPORTANCE OF WHISTLEBLOWERS
WORKING WITH MEMBERS OF
THE MEDIA WHO THEY TRUST.
TO EXPOSE CORRUPTION
AND INCOMPETENCE
IN THE GOVERNMENT AND
IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
THE DEMOCRACY THAT WE HAVE
IS ANCHORED AROUND
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.
BUT PARTICIPATORY
DEMOCRACY MEANS THE MEDIA.
- Slate one, take one.
- Cool.
I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE
PERCEIVE THE MEDIA
AS TRYING TO CATCH PEOPLE OUT.
JA, WELL THE MEDIA
WOULD NEVER CATCH YOU UP
IF YOU'RE ON TOP OF YOUR STORY,
BECAUSE THE ISSUE'S
ABOUT BEING STRAIGHT.
AT THE END, THE MEDIA PLAYS A
ROLE OF EXPOSING THESE THINGS.
THE MEDIA CAN PU
THESE THINGS OUT THERE,
BUT THEY CAN'T ACTUALLY
PUT THE CROOKS IN JAIL.
Today we'll start with G4S
who have been summoned
to assist this process
to get to the
bottom of this saga.
IT WAS A TWO-DAY SESSION
WHERE PARLIAMENTARIANS
WERE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.
FROM ALL THE STAKE
HOLDERS INVOLVED.
THE POLICE, THE DEPARTMEN
OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES,
AS WELL AS JICS.
THEY HAS TO BE FORCED,
ALMOST KICKING AND SCREAMING,
BEFORE THE CORPORATION'S
LEADERSHIP CAME, UNDER OATH,
TO SAY, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED."
Allow me to thank you for
sending us the summons
that we asked for and making is
possible for us to attend today.
Chair, we have the
greatest respect
for this committee,
and for its work.
And, chair, we have participated
fully from the outset
with all investigative
authorities.
IN THEIR REPORT THEY SAID
THABO BESTER HAS DIED.
IN BLACK AND WHITE.
WE HAVE THE AUTOPSY REPOR
AND THE CCTV FOOTAGE
THAT'S A LIE. NO, NO, NO,
IT'S A BALD-FACED LIE.
THERE'S NOTHING ELSE
THAT YOU CAN CALL IT.
UNLESS YOU'VE HAD A, YOU KNOW,
SERIOUS LOBOTOMY PROCEDURE
WHEN YOU WERE VERY YOUNG.
AND THEN I HAD TO ASK THEM
DO YOU NOW BELIEVE THAT HE'S
BEEN ARRESTED IN TANZANIA?
THEN THEY WOULD SAY,
"YES, WE NOW BELIEVE."
SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE THIS CHAP
WAS RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD.
Mr Beyleveld,
where's Thabo Bester?
According to the information
that we have, he's now arrested.
Why did G4S cling to the version
that it was Thabo Bester's
body in that cell?
Even after it was very clear
to everybody else in South
Africa that it wasn't.
Just answer me that question.
Because we were not the primary
investigating authority,
and we did not have access to the
prime evidence, honourable member.
And that's your answer?
- Yes.
- Wow.
IT JUST DEMONSTRATED A
LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND THAT WOULD THEN MEAN
YOU NEED TO DIG MUCH DEEPER
ABOUT HOW THEY DO
THINGS IN THAT PRISON.
Go to the cell, go to the cell.
Going towards cell 35.
We received an application
from inmate Bester,
where he was applying to be kept in
a single cell for his own safety.
And inmate Bester was
placed in cell 35.
JA, I'M TOO OLD TO BELIEVE IN
A CONFLUENCE OF COINCIDENCES.
BESTER WAS IN A CELL AT THE FURTHES
END OF THE PASSAGE FROM THE CAMERA.
YOU KNOW, AND SOMEBODY HAD
TO BE MOVED OUT OF THAT CELL
TO ACCOMMODATE HIM IN THAT CELL,
WHILE THERE WERE OTHER EMPTY CELLS.
And not to put too fine a point
on it, and no pun intended,
it's right next to
the fire escape.
What I'm not ruling out
is that certain members,
together with Mr Bester,
carefully planned this event.
The best you can say is you
don't rule out the possibility
that this was a well-planned,
monumentally logistical operation.
I mean, I have a German Shepard puppy
that can come to that conclusion.
The G4S f♪♪♪in' directors, and
bosses, and whoever they were,
they didn't know what
the f♪♪hit them.
You don't think that it's
part of your responsibility
to determine how a murderer
and a serial rapist
walked out of your prison?
That's somebody else's
responsibility? Get real.
G4S HAD EVERY
REASON TO STONEWALL,
TO CLOSE IT'S EARS, TO CLOSE IT'S
EYES, TO CLOSE IT'S MOUTH, AND WHY?
BECAUSE THAT ESCAPE, THAT SCANDALOUS
EVENT, COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED
WITHOUT WIDESPREAD,
PERVASIVE, OPERATIONAL-LEVEL,
AND MANAGERIAL-LEVEL
COMPLICITY BY G4S OFFICERS.
It's impossible to believe that this
whole operation could've taken place
without the greasing
of many palms.
How many G4S employees were on
duty at that facility that night?
THERE WE'RE MORE THAN 20 G4S
OFFICERS ON DUTY THAT NIGHT.
NOW I THINK THE LIKELY
INFERENCE IS THAT ALL OF THEM
WERE EITHER PAID OFF OR WARNED
OFF OR TOLD, "LOOK AWAY."
It was 23, honourable
member, that was on duty.
23 people had to
look the other way?
Braai'ing, roasting
over the coals.
So let's assume you agree with
me now that Bester got out,
how did he get out?
Currently to say how he got out,
I don't think that's
my purpose now.
The SAP are conducting
the criminal investigation
and we do a due diligent
investigation into the operations.
You honestly.. That's the
answer to the question?
It's not your responsibility?
THEY SAID THEY HAD INVESTIGATED
AND FOUND THAT THREE OF THE
PRISON WARDENS ON DUTY THAT NIGH
DID NOT FOLLOW
PROPER PROCEDURES.
AND THEY WERE SUSPENDED
AND THEN LATER DISMISSED.
Are you honestly sitting
here this morning telling us
that this escape, of
Hollywood proportions
was done with the
assistance of three people?
Is that what you're suggesting?
I'm not suggesting
that, honourable member,
I'm saying that those
are the individuals
who did not follow
policy and procedure.
We suspended them and
we dismissed them.
That's just simply not possible.
It had to have
been so many more.
You had quite a field day,
did you learn anything new?
The recording portion of
the surveillance system
was malfunctioning just over
that period of the actual escape.
So on the 2nd of May, 2022,
from 21:38 until the 3rd of May,
the following day,
just after 04:00,
the security cameras by the
solitary confinement cell
that Thabo Bester was held in
were completely turned off.
And they resumed
operating and 04:10.
04:10! Bo! And the camera
resumed operating. Ye?
Just that little slot
and it didn't work?
You'll agree with me that
that's not a coincidence.
Yes, that coincidence
is strange.
It must stretch even
your imagination.
- It does.
- Yes, quite.
We keep footage for only seven days,
video footage for only seven days,
so it's not possible
for us to go back
- Mm.
- To the date that
- you mentioned.
- But I assume,
and when something happens
like a fire in a cell,
you keep that video footage.
- Correct.
- Unfortunately,
in this case, there
was none. Coincidently.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE ON DUTY A
THE PRISON WAS A CCTV TECHNICIAN
TEBOHO LIPHOLO, WHO WORKED FOR
A COMPANY CALLED INTEGRITRON,
WHICH MAINTAINED THE CCTV
SYSTEM AT THE PRISON.
THEIR INVESTIGATION REPOR
DID NOT FIND ANYTHING
AGAINST TEBOHO LIPHOLO WHO
LATER ADMITTED TO SWITCHING OFF
THE CCTV CAMERAS IN THE PRISON.
HE WAS ALLEGEDLY PROMISED
R2.5 MILLION BY BESTER,
BUT ONLY RECEIVED
R40,000 IN PAYMENT.
And just days prior
to this incident,
a vehicle made an unauthorised entry
into the prison facility, correct?
- That's correct.
- How come? Why?
That's currently
being investigated.
So how far have you got with
your investigation? Tell us.
That's what you're here to do.
to be coming into
the prison facility
arrived with a wooden TV stand.
THEY USED IT TO
SMUGGLE THE BODY IN,
THEY PUT IT IN THE WORKSHOP.
THE EXCUSE WAS I
HAD TO BE WORKED ON,
THAT'S WHY IT HAD TO COME IN.
Could a corpse have
fitted into that TV stand?
- I think so, yeah.
- Okay.
You are probably wondering how
did Katlego end up in cell 35.
WHAT IS NOT THE
TRUTH ABOUT MY SON.
IT WAS WHEN THEY WERE SAYING MY
SON COLLAPSED IN CENTRAL PARK.
THE AMBULANCE CAME TO TOOK
HIM, TOOK HIM TO HOSPITAL,
AND THEN HE WAS RECEIVED
AS AN UNIDENTIFIED PERSON.
THAT'S WHERE IT MADE ME ANGRY.
MY SON IS KNOWN,
HERE IN BLOEMFONTEIN,
ESPECIALLY SOCCER-LOVING PEOPLE.
KATLEGO WAS A NICE
GUY. I KNEW HIM.
UNTIL AT THAT AGE OF
30-SOMETHING, YES.
HE WAS ALWAYS TALKING ABOU
CELTICS THIS, CELTICS THAT.
HE WAS NEVER
INVOLVED IN A FIGHT,
OR HEARING KATLEGO
HAS BEEN ARRESTED, NO.
THAT IS, I'M GETTING EMOTIONAL
WHEN TALKING ABOUT THIS THING.
JUST IMAGINE IF IT WAS
YOUR SON, YOUR BROTHER.
THE FAMILY'S GRIEF
IS ON PUBLIC DISPLAY
AS DETAILS ABOUT THE ELABORATE
ESCAPE CONTINUE MAKING HEADLINES.
Katlego's family searched
for an entire year for him,
and still, even after the
confirmation of his death,
they're left with
so many questions.
AT THE TIME OF THE
INITIAL ARREST,
THERE WAS ONLY EARLY
INDICATIONS OF A MURDER,
BUT THEN AS THE POLICE
INVESTIGATION CONTINUED,
THESE CHARGES WERE LATER WITHDRAWN
DUE TO A LACK OF EVIDENCE.
AT THE CENTRE OF EVERYTHING
THAT HAS HAPPENED HERE
ARE THE ALLEGED VICTIMS
AND PEOPLE LIKE KATLEGO
BERENG'S MOTHER AND FATHER
THAT ARE STILL
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.
It's fishy. It's fishy.
THEY THINK THERE'S MORE
THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE
UNVEILED REGARDING HIS DEATH.
When all of this happened,
who was the Manguang Correctional
Centre director? Was it you?
Yes, honorary member,
it was still me.
Everything happened under you?
- That's correct.
- You are still the director there?
- Have you been dismissed?
- No.
- Why?
- No, I did not commit any misconduct.
When everything else
happened under you?
- Yes.
- Wow.
THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE.
THIS IS A PROPERLY PLANNED,
WELL-EXECUTED WALK OUT OF PRISON.
Department of
Correctional Services
has served the private
company managing the prison
with a notice that it will
be terminating its contract.
This contract does not deserve
any further day to continue.
- I would disagree with that.
- Why?
Our track record over 22 years
is a good track record given
if compared to other private
and public facilities.
This issue, before you respond,
it's a serious
reputational risk,
not to DCS, to the
country South Africa.
Here we go! Here
the f♪♪we go!
Here the f♪♪we go!
Magudumana has been
fighting for her freedom.
She claims she was
abducted by state officials
and has attempted to have her
arrest and deportation set aside.
She has the f♪♪♪ing audacity
to say that her being extracted
from a country that she entered
with illegal, forged documents
was unlawful.
Like, b♪♪♪♪, get the
f♪♪out of here.
A POSSIBLE REASON FOR NANDIPHA
ABANDONING HER BAIL IS BECAUSE
IF SHE WERE TO TAKE BAIL,
THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SEEN
AS HER AGREEING WITH THE
CHARGES BROUGHT OUT AGAINST HER.
Stealing bodies,
freeing a man from prison who
was a rapist and a murderer,
dumping the bodies that you
took from morgues in a river.
Sit your ass down and
go to jail forever.
FOR THE FIRST TIME
SINCE THEIR DEPORTATION,
BESTER AND DR NANDIPHA
WERE REUNITED IN THE DOCK.
Ladies and gentleman,
here's our Bonnie and Clyde.
Here's our Bonnie and Clyde.
CAMERAS ARE FLASHING,
THERE'S A HUSHED SILENCE.
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME WE SAW THEM
TOGETHER IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE WORLD.
Some of us, we've never
had our partners look at us
the way Nandipha looked
at Thabo. Be honest.
This is giving, "I will
live, breathe, die for you."
I mean, they already did
the other crazy stuff
like steal dead bodies and
break out of jail, but still!
THEY ROSE TO THE OCCASION.
THE STOLEN KISSES, THA
LOOK INTO EACH OTHER'S EYES,
THE HOLDING OF HANDS.
IT WAS AS IF WE WERE WATCHING AN
EPISODE OF OUR FAVOURITE SOAP OPERA.
No criminal should be this happy
and smitten in the court of law
while they face so many
criminal charges. Uh-uh!
EVERYONE WANTED TO SEE
HOW THEY WERE GOING TO
BEHAVE TOWARDS EACH OTHER,
AND I GUESS EVERYONE GOT MORE
THAN WHAT THEY BARGAINED FOR,
BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU
INTERPRET FROM WHAT YOU SAW
IT CERTAINLY DID
RAISE SOME EYEBROWS.
I've, personally, never
seen a love like this.
Ooh, Nandi! Yoh!
How do we get that Bester
level of love from the lady?
Yoh, bruh.
When we look at body language,
we look for fake
smiles and real smiles.
There wasn't a real smile
on her face, it was fake.
She's quite nervous.
Her arm came around her stomach,
now women do this to
protect this bodies.
SHE WAS VERY WELL KEPT. RED
LIPSTICK, HER HAIR WAS ALWAYS DONE.
EVERYONE WAS FROWNING UPON
THAT BECAUSE MANY WERE ASKING,
"WHO'S DOING HER HAIR? WHY
DO HER NAILS LOOK SO GOOD?
AH MY NAILS DON'T LOOK SO GOOD AND
YET I'VE GOT MY FREEDOM OUTSIDE."
THOSE WERE THE SENTIMENTS
THAT WERE BEING SHARED.
She looks very good for
someone who is behind bars.
A LOT OF THE MEDIA
WERE REPORTING ON
WHAT BESTER WAS WEARING
DURING HIS COURT APPEARANCES,
AND WHAT NANDIPHA'S HAIR LOOKED LIKE,
AND WHAT HER MAKEUP LOOKED LIKE.
AND ALTHOUGH THERE IS
NOTHING INHERENTLY WRONG
WITH INCLUDING THOSE
ELEMENTS IN YOUR REPORT,
THAT SHOULDN'T BE THE FOCUS.
INSTEAD, THE FOCUS SHOULD BE ON
THE CRIMES THAT THEY
WERE BEING ACCUSED OF.
WELL PEOPLE ACCUSED US OF
SENSATIONALISING THE STORY,
WHICH, I THINK, WAS
ABSOLUTE RUBBISH,
BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS ASKING, "WHERE
WAS THIS LIFESTYLE COMING FROM?"
THE ALLEGATIONS THA
WERE BEING MADE,
AND THE EXTRAVAGANCE WHICH WAS ON
PUBLIC DISPLAY FOR EVERYONE TO SEE,
TOLD A STORY ON ITS OWN.
Thabo Bester is demanding
the return of valuables
estimated to be
worth R29 million.
WHEN HE APPEARED IN COUR
AFTER HIS RE-ARREST,
HE GAVE THE MAGISTRATE
A LIST OF ASSETS
THAT HE SAID WAS TAKEN FROM
HIM IN TANZANIA BY POLICE.
A Rolex O, R2.6
million, Two of those.
MILLIONS OF RANDS WORTH OF
CASH, WATCHES, DESIGNER CLOTHES,
PHONES AND LAPTOPS,
WHICH, FIRSTLY, HE WOULD BE
BREAKING SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL LAWS
BY CARRYING THOSE ASSETS
OVER BORDERS ILLEGALLY.
SO HE'S INCRIMINATING HIMSELF,
NOT THAT HE SEEMS TO CARE.
AND, SECONDLY, IT JUST SEEMS
COMPLETELY UNBELIEVABLE.
WHAT IS STILL UNEXPLAINED
IS THE SOURCE OF HIS
"APPARENT" WEALTH.
THEY WERE READY TO FLASH IT,
QUITE PREPARED TO DISPLAY IT,
BUT NO ONE HAS QUITE
CONNECTED ALL THE DOTS
ABOUT HOW ALL OF THIS
WAS BEING FUNDED.
THE STORY ABOUT THE
BILLIONS IN THE BANK
COMES FROM AN ARTICLE
THAT WAS PUBLISHED
QUOTING A LAWYER WHO WAS
APPROACHED BY BESTER,
IN WHICH BESTER CLAIMED
TO BE TOM MOTSEPE,
THE BROTHER OF THABO BESTER,
AND SAID THAT HE HAD
BILLIONS IN ASSETS
THAT HAD BEEN TAKEN AWAY BY
THE ASSET FORFEITURE UNIT,
AND THAT HE WANTED
THIS LAWYER'S HELP
IN GETTING THIS MONEY AND THE ASSETS
BACK FROM THE ASSET FORFEITURE UNI
AND GIVING IT TO
NANDIPHA MAGUDUMANA.
AND THEN THE LAWYER,
OF COURSE, SAID,
"WELL ALL THESE DOCUMENTS
THAT YOU'VE PROVIDED ARE FAKE,
SO I'M NOT GONNA
TAKE YOUR CASE."
WHAT DO YOU MAKE
OF THE PICTURE
OF THABO BESTER AND JACOB ZUMA?
I'VE SEEN THAT PICTURE.
MAYBE JZ WAS SCAMMED BY THABO BESTER.
MAYBE HE'S A VICTIM. WE DON'T KNOW.
THE JACOB ZUMA FOUNDATION
HAS VEHEMENTLY DENIED
THAT ZUMA HAS EVER
MET THABO BESTER.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF
YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
THABO BESTER HAS
OBVIOUSLY WORMED HIS WAY
INTO SOUTH AFRICA'S
RICH AND FAMOUS,
AND HE COULD'VE GONE TO HAVE
A CUP OF TEA WITH JACOB ZUMA
TO PITCH A BUSINESS
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY.
AND DOES IT MATTER IF
THAT PHOTO IS REAL OR NOT?
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
I THINK ALL THAT MATTERS
IS THAT IT'S OUT THERE.
IT'S WHAT IT REPRESENTS.
ONCE THAT IDEA SETS IN, IT'S
ENOUGH TO BE PERSUASIVE TO PEOPLE.
JACOB ZUMA, HE WAS SOMEONE
WHO WAS ABLE TO BUILD A BRAND
AND A CULT OF
PERSONALITY AROUND HIM
AS AN EVERYMAN JUST TRYING
TO RISE ABOVE ADVERSITY,
AND JUST TRYING TO
MAKE IT TO THE TOP,
AND IN THAT PRESENTATION SAYING
THAT YOU TOO CAN ONE DAY BE IN THA
POSITION OF POWER AND INFLUENCE.
I THINK THABO BESTER WAS
SOMEONE WHO CLOCKED THAT.
THERE'S ALWAYS AN ELEMEN
OF ROMANTICISING CRIMINALS,
ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY GE
AWAY WITH DARING ACTS.
SO THE MYTH-MAKING
IS INEVITABLE,
BUT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THA
THERE WERE VICTIMS HERE.
Magudumana will apply for bail.
Back in May she temporarily
withdrew her bail bid.
WHEN SHE NOW DOES FINALLY
DECIDE TO APPLY FOR BAIL,
SHE GIVES THE IMPRESSION
THAT SHE LEFT THE COUNTRY IN THE
FIRST INSTANCE AGAINST HER WILL,
EVEN THOUGH THERE'S FOOTAGE THA
SHOWS HER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.
The question, so what
was she doing in Tanzania
if they arrested her unlawfully?
Was she on holiday?
Was she on honeymoon?
Definitely they were
fleeing from the law.
THIS IS SOMEONE WHO SAYS
THAT SHE WAS KIDNAPPED,
BUT DID YOU SEE HOW THEY
BEHAVED TOWARDS EACH OTHER
IN COURT?
While she claims
Bester kidnapped her,
the state alleges she's
Bester's girlfriend
who lived with him for almost a
year after facilitating his escape.
AND THEN NANDIPHA
MAGUDUMANA
WITH SOME CHUTZPAH,
RELEASED A STATEMENT,
ADDRESSING IT TO
FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
BUT REALLY, THE SENSE
IS VERY CLEARLY HERE,
SHE'S ADDRESSING THE COUNTRY BECAUSE
OF OUR FASCINATION WITH THE STORY.
SHE SPEAKS ABOUT HER
ILLEGAL INCARCERATION,
AND THE CONVERSATIONS,
THE DEEP CONVERSATIONS SHE HAS WITH
GOD EACH AND EVERY PASSING DAY.
SHE THANKS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
ROOTING FOR HER, SUPPORTING HER,
AND EVEN PRAYING FOR HER.
SO FROM THE ONSET, SHE WANTS
TO GIVE THIS IMPRESSION
OF THIS RIGHTEOUS WOMAN,
SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN IMPRISONED
FOR SOME GREATER PURPOSE,
SOME GREATER CAUSE.
SHE SPEAKS TO HER
CHILDREN DIRECTLY.
"MOMMY MISSES YOU.
MOMMY LOVES YOU."
MOMMY IS FIGHTING WITH EVERYTHING
SHE HAS TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN.
"I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN
SOON," SHE SAYS.
You know, she came in
court, you know, singing,
and pretending to be praying,
and stuff like that. This
woman is a thug, bruh.
I find that the applicant
is a definite flight risk,
and that no bail condition will
assist under the circumstances
to limit this risk.
You think this is Hyde
Park? Welcome to prison.
YOU KNOW, I'M
SORRY TO SAY THIS,
BUT I HAVE TO SAY IT.
I'VE SAID SOMETIMES TO GO TO
SCHOOL IS A WASTE OF MONEY.
DR NANDIPHA IS SO EDUCATED.
HER CALIBRE DOESN'T MATCH
WITH THIS ONE OF THABO BESTER.
NOW I'M TALKING ABOU
AN EXPERIENCED DOCTOR.
SHE'S HAVING HER MONEY.
WHY SHE WAS TRICKED
BY THABO BESTER?
I THINK, TO HER, IT FEELS
LIKE I'M A JUDAS OF SOME SORT.
I'M A.. I BETRAYED HER.
AND THEY DO REALLY SAY LIKE,
"DUDE, SHE REALLY,
REALLY, REALLY HATES YOU."
BUT I WANTED THA
MONSTER BEHIND BARS.
I DECIDED THAT I WOULD GO TO
COURT AND SUPPORT NANDIPHA.
SHE'S MY SISTER,
AND SHE'S ONE OF US,
AND WE WERE RAISED TO
SUPPORT EACH OTHER,
EVEN THOUGH THINGS MIGH
HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
DO YOU THINK SHE WAS SURPRISED
TO SEE YOU SITTING
THERE IN COURT?
PROBABLY. I THINK SHE
WAS SURPRISED, YES.
SHE ACKNOWLEDGED
THAT I WAS THERE. JA.
HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO YOUR FAMILY
ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
WITH THIS DOCUMENTARY?
I HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO MY FAMILY
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENTARY.
IT WILL BE A SHOCK
TO THEM, AND
THEY WILL TAKE I
HOW THEY TAKE IT.
AND, I MEAN, AS I'VE BEEN SPEAKING ON
THIS PLATFORM WITH NOTHING TO HIDE.
THIS WHOLE STORY SEEMS TO ME
TO HAVE BEEN AN
INTRICATE GAME OF CHESS.
WE KNOW THE QUEEN CAN
MAKE ALL SORTS OF MOVES,
AND WAS IT NOT DR MAGUDUMANA
WHO WAS FETCHING BODIES,
PLANNING ALL OF THIS?
SO THERE THEY WERE,
THE KING AND THE QUEEN,
WITH ALL OF THESE LITTLE PAWNS,
WHO WERE, ULTIMATELY,
DISPENSABLE, EXPENDABLE
IN THEIR LITTLE GAME OF CHESS.
The Thabo Bester escape
saga is set to go on trial.
Nine people, including Bester,
are facing a raft of charges.
OF THE ACCUSED WE
HAVE THABO BESTER,
AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE
ARE ALL THESE OFFICIALS,
SOME OF WHOM WORKED FOR G4S, ALL
OF THEM WORKING IN THAT FACILITY.
WE HAVE DR NANDIPHA
HER FATHER
THEN WE HAVE HER GARDNER.
THE LIST OF CHARGES
IS QUITE SERIOUS.
BESTER PROBABLY HAS
THE LEAST TO LOSE
OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE DOCK,
'CAUSE HE'S ALREADY IN PRISON.
MAGUDUMANA HAS SUFFERED
GREAT REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE
FROM THIS WHOLE AFFAIR.
HELPING A PRISONER ESCAPE CAN
LAND YOU IN JAIL FOR 15 YEARS.
THE CORRUPTIONS CHARGES ARE BASED
NOT ON THE AMOUNT THEY PAID,
BUT ON THE AMOUNT THEY PROMISED.
SO IF SHE'S CONVICTED
OF THE CRIMES,
MAGUDUMANA FACES A
LONG TIME IN PRISON.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO
SEE COME OUT OF THE TRIAL?
WELL I THINK JUST FOR THE
ACTUAL TRUTH TO COME OUT,
BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL
SO MANY QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE,
QUESTIONS THAT OUR
COLLEAGUES IN THE MEDIA HAVE,
THAT THE BROADER
PUBLIC STILL HAS,
REGARDING HOW EXACTLY WAS
THIS ABLE TO TAKE PLACE.
I'D LIKE TO SEE A PROPER
INVESTIGATION DONE
WITH A PROPER
PROSECUTION, EVIDENCE-LED.
I'D LIKE TO SEE GOOD
CROSS-EXAMINATION
TO ANNIHILATE BESTER AND NANDIPHA,
BECAUSE THEY'RE TALKING CRAP.
SO CERTAINLY THE ANSWERS ARE
OWED TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC.
IT'S NOT JUT A STORY
THAT'S SENSATIONAL,
IT'S, LIKE, ALSO IN MY
BRAIN I'M GOING THROUGH,
"WHAT IS..? WHAT ARE WE LIVING
IN? WHAT HAS OUR COUNTRY COME TO?
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?"
WHAT DO YOU THINK
OF THABO BESTER NOW?
I'll ALWAYS HATE THABO
BESTER. I'll ALWAYS HATE HIM.
I HATE WHAT HE'S DONE
TO MANY FAMILIES,
NOT JUST MY FAMILY.
THE VICTIMS OF THE SHENANIGANS
HE WAS INVOLVED IN.
I'M NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO GOES
AROUND HATING PEOPLE, I LOVE PEOPLE,
BUT I DON'T THINK HE'S A PERSON.
AND I HOPE.. NO MATTER
WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE,
HE'LL NEVER BE
RELEASED FROM CUSTODY.
HE'LL DIE IN JAIL. HE
DESERVES TO DIE IN JAIL. MM.
Thabo Bester, Dr Nandipha trial
is gonna be, like, everywhere.
It must have the same commentators
who do Xhosa commentary for rugby.