It sounds like a storyline straight out of a gripping TV series. Thabo Bester, also known as the Facebook Rapist, a convicted murderer, meticulously plans his escape by faking his own death. For nearly a year, he and his partner successfully evade capture, enjoying their newfound freedom outside of prison walls. However, their luck eventually runs out.
Bester sets fire to himself in a cell at the Mangaung Correctional Center, making it appear as though he has died. But to everyone’s surprise, the Facebook Rapist is later found alive and well by members of the public, with reports of him even being spotted grocery shopping. In March, police open a new murder investigation as results reveal that the body found after the fire does not belong to Bester.
The deceased had actually died from blunt-force trauma to the head prior to the fire.
As this startling discovery becomes public, arrests are made and a cross-country effort ensues, resulting in the capture of the fugitives in Tanzania. Some of them have already faced a judge, adding another unexpected twist to this real-life saga.