Convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester has been transferred to the high-security eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in Kokstad, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has confirmed.
The move is understood to have taken place without the prior knowledge of Bester’s legal team, who say they will urgently approach the courts to have him returned to Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria.
DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said inmate transfers form part of standard operational procedures and are informed by security risk assessments.
He said the relocations are aimed at maintaining the safety, security and stability of correctional facilities.
“All logistical arrangements remain in place to ensure that court appearances and legal proceedings proceed without disruption,” Nxumalo said.
He added that Bester would continue to receive care in line with correctional services policies and would retain full access to legal representation, family communication and court processes.
Bester became one of South Africa’s most notorious inmates after orchestrating a dramatic prison escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in 2022, where he faked his death in a fire and vanished.
He was later tracked down and arrested in Tanzania in 2023, before being extradited to South Africa alongside his partner, former medical doctor Nandipha Magudumana.
His transfer to one of the country’s most secure prisons underscores the heightened security concerns surrounding the convicted criminal as legal proceedings continue.