A Zimbabwean man (31) was arrested on Sunday morning in Johannesburg. According to the national police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, the suspect faces a charge of assisting an inmate to escape from lawful custody. 

Mathe said this suspect is likely to face more charges. So far, nine people have been arrested in this case. Only two are out on bail of R10 000 each. 

Mathe said the suspect is expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 13 June 2023. Mathe added that the possibility of police effecting more arrests cannot be ruled out.

On 29 May 2023, the Bloemfontein Magistrate Mohlolo Khabisi denied granting bail to four of the five suspects linked to the escape of  Bester from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.

ALSO READ – Breaking News: Four of Bester's co-accused denied bail – VIDEO

The acting Magistrate Khabisi denied accused 1 Senohe Matsoara, accused 3 Teboho James Lipholo, accused 6 Motanyane John Masukela, and accused 7 Tieho Frans Makhotsa bail. The case was postponed to 20 June 2023 for further investigations and the other co-accused's appearance.

Some of the accused, including Matsoara, have been in custody for over 50 days since their arrest in April 2023. They are accused of aiding the convicted Facebook rapist and murder convict to escape from lawful custody in the Broadway block of cells at the Mangaung Correctional Centre under the guard of G4S.

They face several charges, including aiding and abetting the escape of a prisoner, defeating the ends of justice, arson, and violating a corpse.

During the testimony of the state witness Teiho Flyman from the SAPS's provincial organised unit, Matsoara and Lipholo are said to have placed the body of Bereng inside cell 35 to allow Bester to escape.

The deceased's body was allegedly claimed by Bester's girlfriend Magudumana from the National Hospital's mortuary for a fake funeral in Phase 2 in Bloemfontein, where Matsoara got hold of Bereng's body and took it inside the premises of G4S on 29 April.

It's alleged that accused 6, Masukela, who was on duty at the gate that day, failed to search Matsoara's vehicle which had a television cabinet, behind which Bereng's body was hidden in a bag. He allegedly assisted Matsoara to offload the body and place it inside a workshop.

The body was later put inside a trolley bin and taken by Lipholo to the block called Broadway, where Bester was kept as a prisoner. The other two accused, Jansen and Makhotsa, who were operators in the control room, were also implicated in not following procedure.

“The dead body was taken to the Thusanong Mortuary for the preparation of the burial and the staged funeral was held in phase two where Matsoara got the body from,” the witness alleged in court.

On Friday 12 May 2023, the witness said Bester paid Matsoara R150 000 whilst Matsoara himself further paid accused 3, Teboho James Lipholo and accused 7 Tieho Makhotsa, R40 000 and R14 000 respectively.

Colonel Flyman said Bester was given a G4S uniform and walked out of the G4S prison in the early hours of 3 May 2022 with Integriton technician Lipholo. A fire was staged inside his cell where the body of Bereng was burnt as a decoy for Bester to escape from lawful custody.

Bester allegedly lived in luxury in Johannesburg. He was arrested in Tanzania along with Magudumana. They were brought back to South Africa on 13 April 2023.

Magudumana was transferred to the Free State where she made her first appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court. She has been remanded in custody ever since.

Magudumana has reserved her right to apply for bail. She has since re-applied to the Free State High Court to appeal Judge Philip Loubser's verdict which dismissed her case over her alleged unlawful and unconstitutional arrest.

ALSO READ: High Court bid of Thabo Bester's girlfriend unsuccessful

Seven officials linked to the Bester escape have been suspended. It's understood that 23 officials were on duty at the time of Bester's escape.

OFM News