Cosatu urges govt to cut ties with private prisons after Thabo Bester’s escape

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called on the government to cut ties with privatized prisons after serial rapist, Thabo Bester, escaped from the maximum-security prison operated by private company G4S.

Bester, otherwise known as “the Facebook rapist”, was photographed in Sandton two months after he supposedly burnt to death in his prison cell in Mangaung last year.

The private security company’s role in Bester’s escape has also been questioned by the Democratic Alliance (DA), which has also called on the Correctional Services Department to outline further details about the case.

Cosatu said that public institutions needed to take control of matters that involved highly dangerous criminals.

“Clearly, privatised prisons that are in the business to make money are not concerned about the public interest, they are concerned about making money. Government is to be watched very carefully because they have been the ones who have allowed the privatisation of this prison, and we can’t trust them,” said the federation’s Tony Ehrenreich.

He said that G4S already had a questionable reputation.

“Its horrendous track record in Israel where they are central to oppression and brutilisation of the Palestinians both at the checkpoints and at the prisons, so a company like that should not even have been able to operate in South Africa, let alone being in charge of using a prison.”

-EWN

In other news – VIDEO: Inside Scandal! actress Mapaseka Koetle’s Birthday celebration

South African actress, businesswoman, and blogger, Mapaseka Koetle gave us an insight into what went down when she was celebrating the day she was born, and judging from the shared video, she, her friends, and her family really had a great time, which will be a thing to remember for the coming years.

She was born on the 23rd of March in the year, 1989, in Bloemfontein, Free State. She is known for her role as Dintle Nyathi in the South African soap drama television series Scandal!. Learn More