Thabo Bester was born on 13 June 1986 and is a South African convicted rapist and murderer who escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in South Africa after faking his death in a fire in his prison cell in May 2022.
16 Facts About Thabo Bester
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Thabo Bester was on the run for almost a year before being caught in Arusha, Tanzania on 8 April 2023.
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Thabo Bester was arrested along with his partner and alleged accomplice, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana.
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Thabo Bester was born at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa on 13 June 1986.
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Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told the media in 2023, that Maria Mabaso, the mother of Thabo Bester, was never able to register her son after giving birth to him.
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The Home Affairs Minister said that Thabo Bester was first convicted at the age of 17, when he would have been eligible to get an ID.
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Thabo Bester has become infamous for his criminal activities and con artistry.
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Thabo Bester has used multiple aliases throughout this criminal career.
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Thabo Bester was imprisoned at Mangaung Correctional Centre in South Africa, a private maximum security prison owned and run by multinational security company G4S.
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The sole director of the company was Phumudzo Thenga, but Thabo Bester is believed to have played a hands-on role in the company, sending instructions via text message while in prison.
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On 3 May 2022, Thabo Bester was declared dead after a fire broke out in his cell at Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein and a body was found, burned beyond recognition.
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On 15 March 2023, GroundUp published a third article, by Marecia Damons and Daniel Steyn, revealing evidence that Thabo Bester had faked his death in the fire and escaped from prison.
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Thabo Bester was never officially documented as a South African citizen with the Department of Home Affairs.
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Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi said that when Thabo Bester was caught in Tanzania in April 2023, he was found in possession of an American passport under the guise of Tom Williams Kelly.
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Motsoaledi said that although Thabo Bester was born in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital on 13 June 1986, he was never registered on the National Population Register.
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On 22 May 2023, Motsoaledi announced that Thabo Bester had been added to the National Population Register and had been furnished with an ID document.