Johannesburg – The Department of Correctional Services has denied that it has an autopsy report on the death of Facebook rapist, Thabo Bester.
In an interview on eNCA on Saturday, Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, said his department did not have the autopsy report on a body found in the prison cell of convicted rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester.
On May 3, 2022, Correctional Services announced that Bester had died after a fire broke out in his cell.
But it has been reported that the body found in the cell was not that of Bester and that he had escaped from prison.
Nxumalo said his department does not have the post-mortem report, which GroundUp reported was completed on May 4, 2022, the day after the fire broke out.
“We stand by our statement of May 3, 2022,” Nxumalo said on Saturday. This is despite the compelling evidence which we published, suggesting that Bester might have escaped from prison.
Nxumalo said when an unnatural death is reported in a prison, such as in the case of a fire, a post-mortem must be conducted and the cause of death identified. “At this stage, the department does not have the outcome of (the police) investigation; it does not have the post-mortem report,” Nxumalo said.
The news reports on Bester have set tongues wagging after he was allegedly spotted shopping in Sandton.
The department has stressed that the investigation into Bester’s death has not been concluded, and that the post-mortem report had not been tabled.
Independent Media has reported that Bester could be linked to three robberies while in a facility in Mangaung, Free State, where he was serving a life sentence.
Many believe that Bester is alive, with reports suggesting that there are people who have had encounters with him despite reports that he was dead.
The Star