Central SA
‘My life has been hell’ – former G4S employee in Thabo Bester case─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 10:03 Fri, 20 Jun 2025
The former G4S security employee who was among the accused in the Thabo Bester prison escape case, has shared the emotional and financial toll the case has taken on his life.
Charges against him were officially dropped during a pre-trial hearing in the High Court in Bloemfontein on Tuesday (17/6).
Motanyane Masukela was initially charged in connection with the elaborate 2022 escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester from the Mangaung Correctional Centre, operated by the private security company G4S. Speaking to eNCA, Masukela described how the ordeal had wrecked his reputation, family, and livelihood over the past two years.
He’s been through hell since his arrest on 18 April 2023 until he got bail and charges were dropped against him, he said. It took a toll on his family, who’d been “suffering a lot”. On the bright side, he had their support since the start. He added he was glad that the matter was finally over.
Masukela recounted the day Bester escaped, stating that he was not even on duty during the prison break. He said he had knocked off around 15:00, and only the following day, staff briefed him that an inmate had supposedly committed suicide.
He was later accused of permitting a suspicious vehicle into the prison facility – an allegation he firmly denies. He was not the one who allowed the vehicle in, but had called a supervisor for assistance, he said. That supervisor was then called to respond to another incident, creating an opening that allowed the van to enter.
He prevented the van from entering because if they were satisfied with their search, they could call the CCTV operating room to open the gate. But that didn’t happen because he was called to allow the car in.
The emotional weight of being associated with a convicted killer was too much to bear, he said, admitting that appearing in court alongside Thabo Bester and the other co-accused tainted his dignity.
He did not even bother applying for jobs during the case, knowing his image had been irreparably damaged. As the sole breadwinner, he turned to buying and reselling clothes from Johannesburg to make ends meet.
One of his children had to seek psychological help to cope with the stress of the situation.
When asked whether he would take legal action against the state, Masukela said he hadn’t made a decision yet but planned to consult with his lawyer.
