A surprise raid by the Department of Correctional Services has confirmed that notorious criminal Thabo Bester is in the company of fellow inmates with high-profile figures like Vusi “Cat” Matlala and Radovan Krejčíř at the Kgosi Mampuru prison.
The trio is being kept under maximum security and 24-hour surveillance.
The C-Max correctional facility is known for housing offenders like serial rapist Ananias Mathe, serial murderer Rosemary Ndlovu and Chris Hani’s murderer Janusz Walus.
THABO BESTER AND VUSI MATLALA ARE KGOSI MAMPURU INMATES
On Tuesday, 8 July, Correctional Services National Commissioner, Makgothi Thobakgale, conducted a surprise raid at the Kgosi Mampuru prison.
A clip posted on social media confirmed several high-profile profiles like Thabo Bester, Vusi “Cat” Matlala, and Radovan Krejčíř were incarcerated on the same floor.
The trio is being kept in isolation behind steel doors under 24-hour surveillance.
Images via YouTube screenshot: SABC News.
Kgosi Mampuru is one of two super-maximum security prisons in South Africa, the other being Ebongweni in Kokstad.
Like Thabo Bester, Vusi Matlala has been accused of being a hotshot businessman who lived a flashy lifestyle and ran a string of businesses aided by high-ranking connections and fraudulent tenders.
Bester is still serving time for his life sentences relating to rape and murder. He is also awaiting trial over charges of his 2022 prison escape, as well as fraud, corruption, and violating multiple bodies.
Meanwhile, Matlala is currently facing charges of money laundering.
He is also charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder based on a 2023 attempted hit on his ex-girlfriend, socialite Tebojo Thobejane.
CELLPHONE, LAPTOP BEHIND BARS
Vusi Matlala was recently transferred to Kgosi Mampuru’s C-Max after he was discovered in possession of a cellphone over the weekend.
In 2023, Thabo Bester was also transferred to the maximum security facility after his prison escape from Magaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein a year earlier. During his incarceration, Bester unlawfully made use of the cellphones and laptops at his disposal in his cell.
In a follow-up raid this week, Matlala shared his concerns with the National Commissioner about his designer belongings.
Thobakgale said of Matlala’s complaints: “He knows how he needs to channel the request. The same with Thabo Bester, he made a request. And the last time I was here, he submitted something to me in writing.”
SHOULD THABO BESTER AND VUSI MATLALA BE INCARCERATED IN THE SAME PRISON?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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