G4S guard Matsoara ‘knew’ Katlego Bereng

G4S employee Senohe Matsoara — who was arrested for aiding and abetting convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester’s audacious escape — is said to have known Katlego Bereng Mpholo.

ALSO READ: Dr Nandipha’s smudged fingerprints helped identify Bereng’s body

DID DR NANDIPHA MAGUDUMANA AND SOME OF HER CO-ACCUSED TARGET BERENG?

According to a source who spoke to Ground Up, Matsoara and Bereng frequented a local tavern in Mangaung. The source revealed that Bereng — who is believed to be the person who was found dead in Bester’s cell in May last year — lived around the block from Matsoara.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services heard in an affidavit by Integritron Integrated Solutions – which provided surveillance of the Mangaung Correctional Centre – that CCTV technician Teboho Lipholo confessed to switching off the recorders of the CCTV cameras that would have captured Bester’s escape.

ALSO READ: Family believes body Dr Nandipha ‘stole’ could be that of relative

According to a translator tasked with a**isting Lipholo to take a polygraph test, he said individuals named “Motsi and Sethlabi” were “also planning to kidnap the person outside the prison and help the plan to escape so Sethlabi and Motsi they are the ones [who] brought the dead body”.

News24 reported on Thursday, 27 April, that source said the State’s investigation and prosecution strategy was based on proving that Bereng had been deliberately targeted by Magudumana and some of her co-accused. This, according to the source, was because he was close in age to Bester which would have made the gire plan believeable.

ALSO READ: Dr Nandipha said to give details on missing domestic employees

BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA OR COLLAPSE?

Bereng’s family still has many unanswered questions regarding his death.

While post-mortem report on the body found in the cell revealed he died of a blunt force injury to the head before being smuggled into the cell and burned, Bereng’s family have received a different version from police officers about how he died.

ALSO READ: G4S CCTV supplier boss owns Dr Nandipha, Bester’s getaway hotel

Ground Up reported on Wednesday that ActionSA Free State chairperson Patricia Kopane said the police told them that Bereng was found unconscious and picked up by an ambulance. He died in the ambulance before reaching National Hospital in Bloemfontein as his blood pressure was low. His body was then taken to the Free State morgue.