Thabo Bester, the infamous South African “Facebook” rapist who escaped from prison in May 2022 while serving a life sentence for rape and murder, has been arrested in Tanzania.
According to South African police, Bester, who escaped by tricking prison officials into thinking that he had committed suicide by self imolation then left the prison dressed as a warden, was arrested in Tanzania, 10 kilometres from the Kenyan border.
It has since been established that numerous high-ranking prison officials at the facility where he was incarcerated, some of whom have been charged, had been involved in helping Bester pull off his prison break.
His partner, medical doctor Nandipha Magudumana, was also arrested in Tanzania. Magudumana has also been confirmed to have aided and abetted his escape by procuring the corpse which Bester set on fire to dupe prison officials. The pair were deported back to South Africa this morning to face charges.
In a story which has left most of the country in awe due to its brazen nature and numerous twists and turns, Magudumana’s father was also arrested on murder charges related to the escape of Bester.
On Saturday March 26, South Africa’s department of correctional services issued a statement confirming that the body found charred beyond recognition on May 5 2022 was not that of Bester, meaning that he had indeed escaped from prison that fateful morning. A manhunt was then initiated.
Bester used Facebook to lure women to assault them, and he also used Twitter, as well as access to internet services to run a well-coordinated scam right from his cell in a maximum security prison.
