EFF Slams Justice Minister Ronald Lamola for Laughing at a Question About Escaped Prisoner Thabo Bester

• The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, has annoyed South Africans with his latest reaction
• Lamola was recently questioned about Thabo Bester's prison escape, which seemed to tickle his funny bone
• Many South Africans were not happy with how the minister reacted to the serious question about an escaped prisoner on the loose

JOHANNESBURG - The EFF says South Africans are on their own after a clip of Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola started making rounds on social media.

The minister was accused of making light of Thabo Bester's prison escape after an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

Justice Minister Ronald Lamola laughed when asked about Thabo Bester's escape

In a clip shared online, a journalist asked Lamola if his department had been able to find the email from a whistleblower who said the Facebook rapist did not commit suicide and escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Services.

Read also

Thabo Bester to face murder charge as evidence suggests fugitive may have killed someone to escape

Before responding to the question, Lamola chuckled, and without answering the question directly, he said:

"There has been an investigation that is ongoing on the matter to look into the DNA of the corpse that was found there and also all the leads. So, we will prefer not to run and comment on the matter. The department will speak when that investigation is concluded."

Mangaung prison warden blew the whistle on Thabo Bester's prison escape

According to GroundUP, a prisoner warden emailed the Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Phathekile Holomisa, asking him if he was aware of Bester's escape.

The Department of Correctional Services said they could not find the email when the warder followed up on the matter in November 2022 because nothing was being done about Bester's escape.

Read also

PA leader Gayton McKenzie uses incarceration experience to theorise how Thabo Bester escaped prison

South Africans outraged at Justice Minister's nonchalant attitude to Thabo Bester's escape

@thandomasanabo said:

"It’s the laugh for me. They are so chilled and unbothered that the investigation has taken almost over a year and that a rapist and killer could have possibly escaped. Their lack of urgency and care is very insulting."

@NAZEEM_G8 said:

"A whole minister laughing about a serious matter. We're really on our own."

@ayanda_ta said:

"I think in South Africa, we don't need politics to free us, we just need to take every matter in our hands like the greats Biko and Sobukwe."

PA leader Gayton McKenzie uses incarceration history to theorise how Thabo Bester escaped prison

Briefly News previously reported that the prison escape of the Facebook rapist, Thabo Bester, has raised many questions in South Africa.

It was initially reported that Bester had died in a fire in his cell. However, DNA testing revealed that the burned body did not belong to the Facebook rapist.

Read also

EFF, Mmusi Maimane want police to use all resources to find escaped prisoner Thabo Bester: “Heads must roll”

After weeks of speculation, the Department of Correctional Services confirmed that Bester escaped from Mangaung Correctional Centre on 3 May 2022.

Source: Briefly News