The correctional services department's decision to reassign and give final written warnings to officials implicated in the prison escape by murderer and rapist Thabo Bester has sparked debate.
Minister Pieter Groenewald put a spotlight on the disciplinary processes implemented by government in the Bester saga after public protector Kholeka Gcakela released a report this week.
The report found there was “undue delay” in reporting Bester's escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022. It found officials Roseline Phahlane and Chris Mahonono committed improper conduct by taking six months to report the escape. It was initially believed Bester died when his cell caught fire and a body burnt beyond recognition was found.
The two officials were informed of the bogus death and escape in June 2022 but the department officially opened an escape case with police only in January 2023.
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