Convicted killer Thabo Bester enjoyed several “getaways” from prison in the months before his escape and on at least two occasions booked into a hotel in Bloemfontein with his lover Nandipha Magudumana.
The couple stayed at the Tredenham Boutique Hotel in March and again in April, using one of Bester’s aliases, TK Nkwana.
An invoice from the hotel, which the Sunday Times has seen, shows the couple stayed for four nights, checking in on Thursday, March 24 2022 and out on Monday, March 28.
However, the hotel’s owner said their booking system showed the couple had stayed a further night, checking out on Tuesday, March 29.
They were back two weeks later, checking in for one night on Wednesday, April 13.
Three weeks later, Bester escaped from Mangaung Correctional Centre, a maximum-security prison, after faking his suicide by burning a body in his cell. He was dressed as a warden.
The hotel is 25km from the prison.
The department of correctional services said this week that no day or weekend passes are allowed at the prison, which houses some of South Africa’s most dangerous criminals.
The hotel bookings were made online, with Magudumana checking the couple into the hotel using her driver’s licence.
The invoice for the first four days booked in March, for R8,206.23, shows two people stayed in the presidential suite. It shows a Visa card was used on March 24 to pay R4,760, with R3,446,23 still owing when the invoice was generated on March 28.
On the nights of March 24 and March 25 “two adults” stayed in the hotel’s luxury King Room 101 at a cost of R1,445 a night.<
On March 26 they stayed in the presidential suite in room 201 at a cost of R1,870 a night. On March 27 two adults stayed in the hotel’s executive suite at R1,657.50 a night.
The invoice shows that “Nkwana” was also billed R198.35 for laundry; R995 for restaurant food; R81 for drinks from the restaurant bar; R100 for tips for the restaurant staff; and R414.38 for a late checkout.
Hotel owner Gavin Jacobson confirmed the authenticity of the invoice.
“We have identified two additional bookings made under the name TK Nkwana for the following dates: 28th to 29th March 2022 and 13th to 14th April 2022.”
He said the reservations were made online through the platform booking.com.
“We have extensively questioned the staff, and no-one could recall any details around the guest(s) and if Dr Nandipha Magudumana was accompanied by anyone.”
However, several staff confirmed Bester had stayed there with Magudumana.
“At the time we did not know who they were. They were ordinary guests to us. We only became aware of the situation a year later when police came to question the management,” said an employee. “We have given the information to the police. The hotel is cooperating with the police.”
A source close to the police investigation said Bester’s sojourns in March and April shone a light on the extent to which he corrupted prison officials.
“This [escape] plan was years in the making. Bester had to die in prison because if he was found to have escaped he would have been sought by police. Everything this man has done is fake. He had 14 aliases. TK Nkwana is his most elaborate fake persona.
“Prison visits are closely monitored. Nandipha and Bester knew this. They knew they couldn’t discuss an escape during a visit. It is believed Bester left the prison as Nkwana to meet up with Nandipha. The hotel bill is a solid piece of evidence of this.”
The source said police and correctional services officials were scouring years of the prison’s visitor registers and record books to see how many times Bester left and returned to the centre and under which aliases.
Correctional services spokesperson Singabako Nxumalo, responding to questions, said: “There are no day nor weekend passes allowed at Mangaung Correctional Centre.
“There have been a number of allegations raised on the life of Bester at Mangaung Correctional Centre. The temporary manager we appointed is looking at such matters. The records at this stage do not show Bester leaving the facility but work is ongoing in terms of investigations.”
The department replaced the manager of the prison, which is administered by global private security company G4S, after it admitted to Bester’s escape amid mounting media pressure last month.
The hotel’s website describes it as being situated “in the calm setting of the secure estate of Tredenham Valley, on the outskirts of Bloemfontein. Renowned for our warm hospitality, exceptional service and gourmet cuisine, the Tredenham Boutique Hotel offers spacious and luxurious accommodation.
The hotel offers larger rooms, Wi-Fi and work and seating areas in each room, ideal for business or leisure guests.
“Although tucked away from the city, we are only minutes away from shopping, nightlife and landmark attractions … Step inside our sophisticated modern hotel and discover a fresh new perspective on luxury accommodation.”
The Sunday Times can reveal that the hotel bill was found this week at the R12m Hyde Park mansion where Bester hid out under his Nkwana alias.
The couple rented the house from October 2022. They fled it on March 21 after a photograph of them shopping at a Woolworths store was published by GroundUp.
Searches of deeds records and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission database reveal the cellphone number listed on the hotel bill is linked to Nkwana and the Hyde Park address.
The invoice was found in a room of the Hyde Park property in which Magudumana’s father, Cornelius Sekeleni, lived. He has also been arrested for his role in the prison break. The invoice was among documents including a notepad Magudumana used as a diary.
It is not known why a team of police forensic experts who searched the property two weeks ago did not find the invoice or Magudumana’s notepad.
Police also didn’t seize security guard uniforms and handcuffs in the guardroom, which were discovered by eBlockwatch founder Andre Snyman this week.
The security uniforms are emblazoned with the emblem TK Security Group, which a police source says is being investigated as a company belonging to Bester.
A search of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, which governs private security companies in South Africa, reveals the company is not registered.
Snyman, whose community crime fighting organisation’s members helped track Bester down and have him arrested for fraud in 2006, confirmed he found the uniforms in the guard house.
He said he believed that for Bester to be truly free he had to be seen to have died in prison. “That story would have to have been meticulously planned. It could have been hatched in prison but it would need to have been finalised outside. The use of an alias is a perfect way to get in and out of prison.”
Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said questions submitted by the Sunday Times dealt with elements of the ongoing investigation and could not get full answers.
“This matter is before court. We cannot reveal evidence gathered thus far. Our focus is to get to the bottom of the truth and get those responsible for this.”
Bester appeared in the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court on Friday after he and Magudumana were deported to South Africa on Thursday from Tanzania. He was remanded in custody until May 16.
Magudumana appeared in court on Thursday on charges of murder, fraud and aiding Bester’s escape. The murder and fraud charges relate to the body smuggled into the prison and set alight to help Bester escape. She will appear tomorrow alongside her father and former G4S warden Senohe Matsoara, who were arrested last week for their involvement in Bester’s escape.
