Fresh reports at the weekend have revealed how convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester allegedly ran a drug and sex work ring while incarcerated at the Mangaung Prison in South Africa.
A leaked report by South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services revealed Bester was the head of a drug and prostitution syndicate while behind bars.
Female prison guards allegedly worked double as guards by day and sex workers at night in a setup run by officials and “influential” inmates.
There were also plans to poison prisoners who got a wind in the run up to Bester’s escape in 2022.
The investigations also revealed how the syndicate also ran a money-laundering scheme. It suggests the ring included a senior prison officer, who controlled the flow of illicit drugs into the correctional centre, and ordered “hits” on inmates it feared may expose its members.
Bester’s escaped in May 2022 after faking his own death by setting his prison cell alight, with help from his lover, medical doctor Nandipha Magudumana.
The pair were living lavishly at their Hyde Park home before they were caught in Tanzania in April 2023.
The pair and seven other accused are being charged for murder, fraud and violation of a dead body. The trial is due to resume at the Bloemfontein high court on Wednesday, February 21, 2024
