DNA tests have verified the identity of the burnt body found in Thabo Bester’s cell.
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Upon finding the body on 3 May 2022, authorities initially believed it to be Bester’s. However, DNA testing done in the wake of Bester’s escape and subsequent arrest has revealed that the body is that of 31-year-old Katlego Bereng.
Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, SAPS national spokeserson, says police confirmed that the charred body found in cell 35 at Mangaung Correctional Centre was identified via DNA testing that matched with the deceased biological mother. ‘The family has been notified by the investigating officer. No further comment will be provided. As difficult as this news is, the SA Police Service is pleased to bring closure to the family.’
Bereng’s father, Batho Mpholo is says his son went missing last April. According to City Press, the 51-year-old received a call that confirmed that the body found in Bester’s cell was in fact Bereng’s. ‘The call has left me numb and my spirit is lost. I never thought I would lose my firstborn in such a gruesome way. He stayed in Bloemfontein with his grandmother, but he was also renting a room in the township. He was the person who loved posting on social media, but in around April he became quiet. I tried calling him, but his number was no longer functioning.’
Mpholo says his son disappeared soon after losing his job at a restaurant in Bloemfontein.
‘I drove down to Bloemfontein and his grandmother said she had not seen him for a month and a few days. That was in mid-May. We went to the place where he was renting a room, but he was not there and the neighbours had not seen him for a long time. That’s when we opened a missing person’s case.’
He added that the Bloemfontein police allegedly only called Bereng’s mother about a week ago to ask for DNA testing. ‘They never explained what the DNA was for, so after a few days, she got a call from Pretoria saying the test was not correctly conducted. Someone was sent from Pretoria to conduct the test [again] and the results came back positive. Even this time, they did not say much. It was only on Saturday when they called to say the person who was found in Bester’s cell was my son (that we knew what the DNA test was for).’
According to Mpholo, the police told him that his son had overdosed on drugs and collapsed in town, passing away in a hospital later and taken to a government mortuary. ‘They could not tell me how he ended up in Bester’s cell. There is still no truth in what they are saying. We still have unanswered questions.’
Bereng would have turned 32 years old on 18 May.
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Picture: Facebook / Katlego Junior Mpholo