Johannesburg – Thabo Bester is indeed Thabo Bester – the same convicted murderer and rapist who faked his death a year ago to escape from prison while serving a life sentence.
Dubbed the Facebook Rapist because he used the social media platform to lure his victims, Thabo Bester, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday amid speculation about his real identity.
Documented or not – there is proof that the man in the dock is the same Thabo Bester who was convicted of rape and murder.
Besides, Thabo Bester’s mom has told Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi that while her son’s birth was never registered, hospital records still exist.
“The archives at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital confirmed every fact she mentioned to us around Thabos birth,” Dr. Motsoaledi said on Friday.
The escaped convict, who was re-arrested in Tanzania and brought back to South Africa, was born on 13 June 1986.
As a young boy, Thabo Bester went to school in the south of Johannesburg.
“We visited this school Laerskool Danie Theron in Kibler Park, South of Johannesburg,” Dr. Motsoaledi said.
“Thabo was admitted there on 14 January 1997 on the strength of his date of birth because as I have said, he has no birth certificate.
“His admission number was 5126. Thabo left the school when he disappeared in 2002 and he was actually in standard 3 (Grade 5).
“He was never to be seen again until 2011 when he was arrested.”
The fingerprints and the picture of Thabo Bester, who escaped from prison in May last year, match those of the fugitive arrested in Tanzania.
Thabo Bester was sentenced to life in prison 2012 for the rape and murder of model Nomfundo Tyhulu.
A court had previously found him guilty of the rape of two other women he lured to his house using Facebook.
Even though Home Affairs is sure the police got the right guy – the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday remanded Thabo Bester in custody to allow for further investigations.
Explaining the birth certificate and ID anomaly to reporters earlier on Friday, Dr. Motsoaledi said: “Thabo never registered with Home Affairs at any stage of his life.
“Hence the only places his name is found are in Correctional Services and the South African Police Services.
“In terms of Civil Registration, only Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital has his details which were captured 37 years ago.”
The matter was adjourned to 16 May 2023 and the Facebook rapist was taken back to Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional facility, in Tshwane, where he is being held under tight security.
Thabo Bester’s partner, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, who he was on the run with until they were arrested in Tanzania, appeared in court on Thursday and is being held in custody.
RELATED: Escapee Thabo Bester, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana Back In SA, Sent To Jail – The Bulrushes
Dr. Magudumana’s father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, has also been arrested in connection with Thabo Bester’s highly publicised prison break that involved setting alight a body in a cell.
RELATED: Thabo Bester Escape: Dr. Magudumana’s Dad In The Dock, Faces Murder Charge – The Bulrushes
Two other suspects – former prison warden Senohe Matsoara and CCTV technician Teboho Lipholo – have also been arrested.
Dr. Magudumana, her father Sekeleni, Matsoara, and Lipholo all face charges that include aiding and abetting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody, defeating the ends of justice, and violating a corpse.
