Thabo Bester fights high-security transfer, citing infringement on trial prep

The legal representatives for Thabo Bester say that the Department of Correctional Services has always been aware of his status as a sentenced inmate serving life imprisonment, arguing that this fact should not be used as justification for his relocation to the Ebongweni Super-Maximum Prison.

Bester was recently transferred to the Kokstad-based facility from Kgosi Mampuru II Central Management Centre, where he had been held for nearly three years.

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His lawyers argue the move is unjustified, despite the high-profile allegations surrounding his escape from the Mangaung Correctional Facility.

This marks Bester’s second legal bid to secure a transfer out of the Ebongweni facility. His initial application was previously struck off the roll.

Advocate Moafrica Wa Maila informed the court that the current placement infringes upon Bester’s constitutional rights, specifically his ability to adequately prepare for his upcoming pre-trial proceedings scheduled for later this month.

“If there were allegations before they took him to Kgosi Mampuru, they knew that," Wa Maila stated. "The question we are asking is: why take him to Ebongweni, because they are infringing on his rights.”