EFF statement on the Public Protector’s report on Thabo Bester’s escape and the failure of Correctional Services
3 October 2024
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is not surprised by the revelations uncovered in the Public Protector's report regarding the escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester from the privately-run Mangaung Correctional Centre. The findings confirm what we have long known: private prisons have devolved into criminal syndicates where corruption, negligence, and even organised violence thrive.
The report exposes the utter failure of correctional services staff, particularly Chris Mahonono, the controller of the G4S run Mangaung Correctional Centre, and Roseline Phahlane, who oversaw contracts at the facility. Instead of fulfilling their constitutional duty to protect the public from a dangerous and violent criminal, these officials chose to delay reporting Bester's escape for six months, after being fully aware that he had faked his suicide as early as May 2022. Their failure to act expeditiously shows a casual disregard for the safety Of South Africans, particularly women, who could have fallen victim to Bester during his time on the run.
This is not simply negligence; it is a symptom of the deeper rot within the Department of Correctional Services, which has allowed private prisons like those run by G4S to operate with impunity. For months, the authorities remained silent about Bester's escape, and it was only due to the relentless investigative work of the media and the public that the truth was finally brought to light in March 2023. The fact that the police and correctional services kept this information from the public for eight months shows a complete failure of governance and an utter disrespect for the lives of ordinary people.
We categorically condemn the ANC government's reliance on private entities like G4S, whose focus is profit, not public safety. These corporations have failed in their primary duty to prevent escapes and uphold security within prisons, and their accountability must be pursued. The negligence shown by officials at Mangaung Correctional Centre, including delaying the opening of a criminal case, is not merely administrative failure—it is complicity in perpetuating the lawlessness that endangers the lives of South Africans.
Bester’s escape is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a broken system. These prisons are not institutions of rehabilitation or security; they have become a breeding ground for criminal operations, where even guns-for-hire have become part of the horrifying reality. The ANC government's continuous outsourcing of critical public services to private entities has created a fertile ground for criminality to flourish, while the protection and dignity of the people of South Africa are compromised.
In light of this new report, the EFF will call for immediate and decisive action against all those responsible for this catastrophic lapse through the Portfolio Committees on Police and Correctional Services, where we will require the Ministry of Correctional Services to once again account on this matter.
While disciplinary measures against correctional services staff are a start, they are not enough and criminal charges need to be pursued. Furthermore, G4S must also reappear in front of the same committees for its role in facilitating this escape, and South Africa must move away from the corrupt and ineffective model of privately-run prisons that have proven themselves incapable of ensuring public safety.
Issued by Leigh-Ann Mathys, National Spokesperson, EFF, 3 October 2024
