'Crooked cops aided' Bester

Arrest at roadblock might have saved the country a great deal of trouble.

- Kyle Zeeman

The massive manhunt for Thabo Bester could have been over a lot quicker and quieter if it wasn't for alleged crooked cops in Laingsburg, Western Cape.

Bester, who was initially convicted of murder and two counts of rape after luring women via Facebook, was serving a life sentence when he escaped from the Mangaung maximum-security prison in 2022 by setting his cell alight.

A body was found in his cell and officials announced Bester's death at the time, but he was later spotted living a life of luxury.

He was eventually recaptured in Tanzania in April 2023, but according to City Press could have been nabbed much earlier at a roadblock in Laingsburg in August 2022.