G4S has confirmed that a kist was driven into Mangaung Correctional Centre just before Thabo Bester's escape by an unauthorised vehicle. 

The company's bosses told the portfolio committee on justice and correctional services in Parliament on Wednesday that only one guard, instead of seven, were on duty when the unknown vehicle drove into the prison on May 2 2022.

They said the vehicle was not inspected as per norm for every car that gets into the prison.  

Facing hard questions from DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach, the prison's audit and risk director Gert Beyleveld admitted that the kist had gotten into the premises unsearched. 

“So the vehicle came in, it was bringing in what? A kist, a box, a kwazi coffin?” Breytenbach asked. 

Beyleveld responded: “Yes, it was a TV stand cabinet that came in...it went into the skills development area and according to the people that are being investigated, this TV stand was brought in by the supervisor who has been dismissed. That had come in for repair purposes.”

Two weeks ago, Sowetan exclusively revealed how an unauthorised car drove into the prison with a wooden kist believed to be carrying a body which was later placed in Bester's cell 35.

At least three sources – two prison employees and an eyewitness – told Sowetan that when a bakkie pulled up with the "furniture", a senior official demanded that it be checked but commotion broke out in another part of the prison and he left to attend to the fracas.   

The 1.3m-long piece of furniture was offloaded around 5pm; it was carried to the prison's woodwork shop under the pretense that it was to be repaired. 

Four G4S Emergency Support Team (EST) officials were allegedly then instructed by their senior to collect a “faulty kist” and take it to the workshop for repairs.  At 3am the next day, a fire engulfed the single cell allocated to Bester. 

Sources said he had only been moved to the cell in Section 30 of the prison just days before the incident. 

Beyleveld said the kist was not repaired and he had moved it from the prison in February for safe keeping. He conceded that a corpse could have been fitted into the piece of furniture. 

When Breytenbach asked how the kist had gotten into the premises without being searched, Beyleveld responded: “The process will still reveal that but currently I can confirm that seven people have been suspended pending this investigation on their involvement in that particular incident.” 

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za