Zuko Komisa
- The Johannesburg High Court dismissed Thabo Bester’s bid to change his prisoner classification to “awaiting-trial detainee.”
- The court ruled against Bester, ordering him to pay the legal costs associated with the failed application.
- Judge du Plessis determined that Bester’s arguments were legally unsound, maintaining his status as a sentenced prisoner.
The Johannesburg High Court has dismissed, with costs, an application by convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester to be reclassified from a sentenced prisoner to an awaiting-trial detainee.
Presiding Judge du Plessis rejected Bester’s submission, stating that his argument lacked legal merit.
Bester had sought the change in status to gain access to the broader privileges afforded to those awaiting trial, a move the court has now firmly blocked.
This ruling follows a series of procedural challenges initiated by Bester since his capture.
He is currently serving a life sentence for murder and rape, having famously escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022 by faking his own death in a cell fire.
His re-arrest in Tanzania in April 2023 marked the beginning of extensive ongoing litigation regarding his prison conditions and legal status, as he continues to face charges related to his prison break and other criminal activities.
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The post Why the Johannesburg High Court denied Thabo Bester’s request for reclassification appeared first on KAYA 959.