By localnew 
Thabo Bester Says He’s Being Treated as Guilty Before Trial in Court Challenge
Convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester, who is facing additional charges related to his controversial 2022 prison escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre, told the Johannesburg High Court that he feels he is being treated as if he has already been found guilty — even though the escape allegation has not yet been legally decided.
Bester appeared in court on Tuesday to challenge the conditions of his detention and the validity of his current incarceration warrant. He argued that he has spent years in prolonged solitary confinement and that the treatment he’s receiving violates his constitutional rights, making it difficult for him to prepare and present his defence properly.
Dressed in sunglasses during the hearing, Bester maintained that the state has prematurely classified him as an escapee without due process, saying this amounts to being treated as guilty before a judicial finding has been made. He insisted that he believes he will never be convicted of the escape charge because his release in May 2022 was lawful, not an escape.
The state rejected his claims, telling the court that his detention is lawful and that he was transferred to maximum‑security conditions because there is an existing warrant of committal that must be complied with, not merely due to classification. Authorities also argued that Bester’s urgent application should not be heard on rushed terms because he was aware of his rights but did not act sooner.
Bester was originally serving life sentences for rape and murder when he disappeared in 2022 and was later found and re‑arrested in Tanzania in April 2023, along with alleged accomplice Dr Nandipha Magudumana. The escape and re‑arrest have drawn intense public and media scrutiny across South Africa.