‘Facebook rapist’ burns to ashes in his jail cell

THE Department of Correctional Services this week failed to explain how the notorious “Facebook rapist” mysteriously set himself alight and burned to ashes in a solitary cell at Mangaung Correctional Centre, one of the two private prisons in South Africa.

Sources from the Bloemfontein-based prison told Independent Media this week that Thabo Bester was put into solitary confinement against his will on April 29, and that his plea to be returned to his normal cell fell on deaf ears.

And four days later Bester, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of Johannesburg model and car saleswoman Nomfundo Tyhulu, was found burned to ashes in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

“Thabo complained to the prison management that there was a hit on him after he failed to pay a protection fee to the members of the 26 Gang. Instead he was dragged to solitary confinement kicking and screaming last Friday.

“They told him it was for his own protection, while he felt his rights were being violated as the authorities were supposed to lock those threatening him in a solitary cell,” said a prison official, who asked not to be named as he is not allowed to speak to the media.

“The man was burned to ashes; it looks like he covered himself with his mattress and allegedly set himself alight. You couldn’t even recognise him.

“We just assume that the ashes belong to him as he was the only person in that cell,” the official explained.

The official added that Bester was last seen alive at about 10pm on Monday, when the night patrol officer switched off the lights.

“The officer is supposed to do a headcount of all the prisoners before switching off the lights for the night, and the official claims he saw Bester alive then.”

It is not clear how Bester managed to set himself on fire after the lights were switched off.

“We are told that there was a smell of petrol in his cell, and it is also reported that a cellphone and a laptop were also found in there. Nobody knows how it got there, as he was supposed to have been thoroughly searched when he was locked in there.”

The official added that it is also a mystery where the night guard was when all this happened.

“Bester’s remains were only found when a kitchen worker who reported for duty just before 4am on Tuesday saw smoke coming out of his cell and raised the alarm, but the prison officials on duty that night failed to see this.”

Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo failed to answer specific questions sent to him this week concerning Bester’s death, but confirmed that he was dead.