‘It’s painful to hear his body was being tossed like a tennis ball’ — Katleho Bereng’s aunt on court testimony

15 May 2023 - 09:57
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Father of two Katlego Bereng, whose body was used as a decoy in Thabo Bester's escape from prison.
Father of two Katlego Bereng, whose body was used as a decoy in Thabo Bester's escape from prison.
Image: Social media

The aunt of the man whose body was used as a decoy in Thabo Bester's escape from prison said it was painful to hear how his body was moved about like a toy. 

On Friday an investigating officer in the case looking into Bester's escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May last year continued with his testimony in the bail application of former G4S employees Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masukela, Tieho Frans Makhotsa and Natassja Jansen.  

The five were dismissed by G4S which ran the facility Bester escaped from. 

The officer told the court how Bereng's body reached cell 35, where Bester was kept. 

His body was allegedly set alight in a plot to make it appear Bester had died in the cell. 

His body was like a tennis ball being tossed about from one point to the other. It was painful to hear how his body was kept like that of someone with no family. 

“It's devastating to hear all the things they did. When you look at the accused people as the testimony is heard, there are no signs of emotions from them. They don't look remorseful at all. It's like they are not talking about them,” Poppy Bereng told TimesLIVE.

She said though sitting in court and hearing the testimony was painful, it was something the family needed to do to get answers that might help find closure.

“We have so many questions and we are getting some answers as the case proceeds,” she said. 

On Friday, the officer told the court Bereng's body was collected by Dr Nandipha Magudumana from the National Hospital in Bloemfontein. Magudumana had reportedly told officials she was assisting the family of the deceased with funeral arrangements.   

The police officer said the body was brought to the Mangaung Correctional Centre by Matsoara using a vehicle hired by Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni.

The vehicle was hired at OR Tambo International Airport on April 27 and arrived in Bloemfontein [driven by Sekeleni] on April 29, when the body was driven to Mangaung Correctional Centre by Matsoara. 

“The body was hidden in a bag put under the TV stand Matsoara drove in with,” the officer said.   

He told the court Matsoara had gained entry to the prison using an entrance where he would usually have needed to have a pass, but he was allowed through.  

The vehicle was supposed to be searched but that didn't happen.  

On the day he smuggled the body in Matsoara was off duty, according to the investigating officer's testimony.   

The body was kept overnight in the workshop section of the prison.

It was then moved the next day by Lipholo, the officer testified. He used a trolley bin to move the body as he was pretending to clean the prison yard. The body was then kept in a dark room in the Broadway section where single cells are located. 

The officer told the court Bester left the prison dressed in a G4S uniform and walked out with Lipholo and Matsoara.

He said Jansen and Makhotsa were on duty that night as CCR controllers responsible for electronically opening certain doors at the prison.  

Poppy said she was disappointed to hear how Magudumana's elderly father, Sekeleni, seems to have been deeply involved in the saga. 

“When I saw that man on TV I saw a respectable man. I said there must have been a mistake. But after hearing that it was him who [allegedly] hired the vehicle that brought Katli's [Katlego] body to prison, I'm shocked,” she said. 

The bail hearing was postponed until Tuesday for further evidence and cross-examination of the officer.   

TimesLIVE

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