Thabo Bester wants better prison conditions - seriously?

Updated | By Skyye Ndlovu

In the latest report from the "Audacity Files", Facebook rapist Thabo Bester has launched a legal bid for better prison conditions

Thabo Bester 2025 — Thabo Bester / Gallo Images / Volksblad / Mlungisi Louw

Ahhh - Thabo Bester aka the man who turned his life sentence into a real-life prison break movie.

The so-called “Facebook Rapist” is back in the headlines, but this time he’s not escaping. He’s complaining.

According to City Press, Bester has launched a new legal bid, demanding better prison conditions and claiming his treatment is unconstitutional.

Yep, the same guy who faked his death, set a cell on fire, and fled the country now wants comfier conditions behind bars.

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Bester’s latest move targets the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) in the Johannesburg High Court.

He argues that his inmate status should be reviewed, saying he deserves privileges similar to those who are awaiting trial. That includes contact visits with his family and legal team.

In case anyone forgot, Bester is serving life imprisonment for rape, robbery, and the murder of model Nomfundo Tyhulu.

His 2022 “escape” from Mangaung Prison remains one of the wildest moments in SA crime history, complete with a fake death, a burned body (later confirmed to be Katlego Bereng Mpholo), and an international manhunt that ended in Tanzania alongside his partner, Dr Nandipha Magudumana.

This isn’t Bester’s first time crying foul. He’s previously claimed that he’s kept in near-solitary confinement at Kgosi Mampuru II C-Max, saying the harsh conditions are hurting his mental health.

Sadly, the DCS isn’t buying it. Officials say solitary confinement doesn’t exist in South Africa, at least not in the way Bester describes it.

They explain that high-security inmates like him are housed separately for safety and security reasons, not punishment.

A DCS spokesperson told City Press: “Thabo Bester enjoys the same privileges as other inmates.”

Translation: You’re not special, sir.

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If we're being honest, when someone literally fakes their death and escapes a maximum-security prison, you probably don’t give them the Wi-Fi password and let them mingle in the cafeteria.

The DCS maintains that Bester’s “unique ability” to plan elaborate escapes means his security measures have to be tight because, well… we’ve seen what happens when they’re not.