EFF statement on the arrest of Thabo Bester in Tanzania

8 April 2023

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) welcomes the reported arrest of convicted and rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, in Arusha, Tanzania.

Bester escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Free State in May 2022, after staging a suicide in the prison.

The apprehension of Bester in Tanzania confirms the level of deceit and incompetence of the Correctional Services of South Africa and their Israeli-linked private security company partner which ran the prison, G4S.

Bester's escape is a combination of gross corruption and collusion of senior Correctional Service Officials with criminals.

It is worse that G4S, which failed to appear before Parliament to account on the escape of Bester from a facility they ran, was adamant that Bester did in fact commit suicide despite objective forensic evidence that the body which was found in his cell was not his.

The EFF calls for all public-private partnerships with G4S and any other private companies to run South African prisons to be terminated with immediate effect. The prison industrial complex which the South African State has adopted, which seeks to utilize imprisonment as a means of profit maximization is testament to the EFF's long held position that privatization of public services will degenerate our country and surrender it to capitalist interests, which have no regard for the interests of the people.

The EFF calls for the immediate return of Thabo Bester to South Africa, and for him to be held under strict supervision to avoid any underhanded attempts at stopping him from revealing those who aided his escape from prison. Bester must return to prison, and be interrogated so that he can expose all of those who collaborated in his lavish lifestyle in prison, and enhanced his life as a fugitive outside of prison.

Issued by Sinawo Thambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 8 April 2023