Fatshimetrie: Thabo Bester, convicted of rape and murder, requests the death penalty
Thabo Bester, convicted of rape and murder, has asked the Free State’s high court to allow the public to sign a petition to have him sentenced to death and to free his co-accused whom he claims did not have nothing to do with his escape from Mangaung Correctional Center in May 2022.
In a statement to the Bloemfontein court, Bester said: “This is not the way I want to proceed, even if it means that this court will accept the petition and the public will be able to sign it so that I can be brought to justice. rest.” Bester was representing himself in court after his lawyer, Mohammed Seedat, withdrew due to logistical problems.
Other lawyers, including advocates Dali Mpofu and Zandile Mshololo, have also withdrawn from Bester’s legal representation since he was re-arrested in April 2023.
Building on his statement, Bester cited sections of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in his defense. He claimed the corrections system worked against him to convict him of a crime based on political interference and media influence.
“I feel that my confidentiality of consultation is compromised because they [correctional services] have a vested interest, I cannot disclose certain information about the alleged escape because I do not believe there was an escape, but whatever be the facts, I cannot consult a lawyer who comes to C-max [prison],” he said.
The convicted rapist and murderer has argued that the way the media portrays him as a criminal has affected his ability to appoint legal representation.
Responding to Bester’s arguments, the judge requested that he obtain legal representation and make applications to support his claims.
Bester, along with his co-accused Nandipha Magudumana, Zolile Sekeleni, preliminary. The co-defendants allegedly aided Bester in his 2022 prison escape.
Bester, Magudumana and Moyo remain in custody, while the rest are on bail of R10,000 each. The case will return to the Free State Supreme Court on July 24.
In 2012, Bester was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Nomfundo Tyhulu, a Johannesburg car saleswoman, and for armed robbery linked to property he took from Tyhulu after killing her. Nicknamed the “Facebook Rapist,” he used social media to lure women and rape them.
During his court appearance Wednesday, Bester claimed he was forced to admit to Tyhulu’s murder.