On Wednesday, convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester called for a death sentence during an emotional account of his experience behind bars thus far.
Also read: Tragic loss in Thabo Bester prison escape investigation
Bester and his lover, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, and seven other accused – Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni, their gardener, Zanda Moyo and prison officials Frans Makhotsa, Senohe Matsoara, Buti Masukela, Teboho Lipholo, and Joel Maketha – appeared in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein on charges involving fraud, corruption, violating a corpse, defeating the end of justice, arson and aiding and assisting a prisoner to escape.
The charges relate to Bester’s escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein in 2022, allegedly with the help from Magudumana and a group of prison officials, Daily Maverick reported.
On Wednesday, Bester claimed that his rights have consistently been violated since his arrest in April 2023.
As reported by News24, he told the court that he found himself in an unfair situation as the national commissioner of prisons had direct oversight over any documentation he received. He also noted mistreatment by authorities when consulting with his legal team, resulting in the withdrawal of three attorneys.
Advocate Mohamed Seedat was the latest to withdraw from the case.
‘The challenge is that I’m not able to have access to the documents they want to give,’ he said. ‘The current situation is that the national commissioner has placed me under him directly, meaning there’s nothing that can be processed or given to me without his access or without his direct approval.’
He added that the conditions of his confinement was harsh, including 15 months of isolation from other prisoners and limited contact with anyone outside.
‘I have not had access or contact with any human except the EST [guards] that sit outside my door, and that’s the only people I see. I feel for my mental health and other issues. It is unfair, and it’s not presenting me with the best ability to be in this court,’ he said.
‘I am sitting in a situation where I, as a person, feel that I have no system or any place else to bring my grievances to other than this court and myself.’
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Bester also described physical and emotional distress, especially when being transported to court in chains and suffering from cold feet.
‘I can barely feel my toes. This is not the way I want to proceed,’ he stated.
Furthermore, Bester stated that the media’s portrayal of him influenced public opinion and could negatively impact his chance at a fair trial.
‘I am cuffed in a way that is inhuman for a person who is coming to defend and fight for his own life. I believe that with the carnage of the media and everyone else, I am not treated fairly or equally. I feel that it’s unfair to have a fair trial as a person who has an obligation to speak for himself.’
He also insisted that the charges against him were politically motivated and that the evidence was manipulated. ‘I feel my life is in danger because of the fact the people who are responsible for this charge, I am under their hands,’ he said.
‘I am not allowed to wear clothes that are Louis Vuitton or whatever because it gives the wrong impression. I feel I am out to speak because I am going to stitch up another legal team, and they are going to place a war against me.’
He then stated that the public and prosecution should petition for his execution if they thought he was guilty.
‘I say this as a broken man, and I say this wholeheartedly: It tears me apart to see these people in this court, knowing very well that they suffered for something.’
‘I request that the public, if they are so convinced, and if the prosecution is so convinced that I am the waste of these people’s lives, that a death sentence be given as a petition that the public signs a petition and I be given a death sentence, and immediately I will agree to it.’
‘I am at peace. I know what I have done,’ he added.
The case will resume on 24 July.
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Also read:
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Picture: Mlungisi Louw / Gallo Images