Bester Jail Decoy; Mpholo Finally Laid To Rest, Mother Seeks For Justice

Katlego Mpholo was remembered as a caring and joyful soul at his funeral on Sunday at Bloemfontein’s Lesley Monnyane Hall.

Thabo Bester, a convicted murderer, and rapist, escaped from jail in May of last year using the body of the 32-year-old father of two as a ruse.

According to the allegations, a number of defendants collaborated with discredited physician Nandipha Magudumana to make sure Mpholo’s body ended up in Cell 35 at the Mangaung Correctional Facility in order to facilitate Bester’s escape.

His inconsolable mother and his pals arrived to say their final goodbyes to Mpholo.

After everything she and the family had done to attempt to find Katlego, Monica Matsie, the mother of Katlego, stated in a poignant tribute to her son, “I never thought that we would be able to find him.”

“Katlego my child, I am hurt, I went everywhere searching for you. I never felt that you could die like this.

“You were a beautiful child, my boy, respectful, you never gave me trouble and when I would reprimand you, you listened.

“I am hurt that I’ll never see your smile, and your beautiful face, my child. You were my only child. I am hurt Katlego, I am truly hurt, what happened to you hurts me. Please fight my son, don’t rest, fight until justice is served. I have lost my right-hand man, my helper, but I trust God will fight for us.

“I will raise your children to know you, my son, they will know their father,” said the heartbroken mother.

Mpholo’s father Batho Mpholo said: “Today is one of those days when we ask ourselves whether it’s real. We will be happy to finally lay him to rest even under these circumstances.

“The most difficult thing is finding your son in that manner and it was the breaking point for us. I felt like I’m dying inside. We are putting our faith in God, he will reveal everything, and everyone who was involved will be revealed.

“Katlego was a very humble and flamboyant boy, he was a leader. We will be laying him to rest but the family is heartbroken,” he said.

Mpholo’s friend and fellow member of the Bloemfontein Celtic Kopanong branch, Judith Williams described him as a vibrant person.

“I have known him since 2016 when he became a member of the Kopanong branch, he was the youngest. He worked hard and became the deputy of the branch. He was embraced by the people.

“Last year when he went missing we tried to search tirelessly. I was hit deeply when I learned that his body was found in that cell. Saying his name and him not responding breaks me,” she said.

The National Prosecuting Authority later dropped the murder charge against six of the suspects in Bester’s complex escape.

On Wednesday, Magudumana appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court alongside Senohe Matsaora, Teboho Lipholo, Buty Masemola, and the most recent arrestees, former G4S control room operators Tieho Makhotsa and Anastassja Jansen, on charges including corruption, fraud, defeating the ends of justice, helping an inmate escape, and violating a body.

Phaladi Shuping, the NPA’s regional spokesperson for the Free State, stated: “At this time, there is not enough evidence for the NPA to proceed with a murder charge; therefore, the NPA has decided to provisionally withdraw the charge of murder awaiting further investigation. To provide Katlego Bereng’s family with closure, it is crucial to thoroughly elucidate the unfortunate circumstances leading to her death, he stated.

Shuping stated that this area of the investigation was of utmost importance and that the NPA was collaborating closely with the police to make sure that no investigative effort was spared to uncover the truth.