The grief-stricken family of the late Katlego Mothusi Bereng seek answers to not only his mysterious death, but also to how his remains were used in the schemes of the convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester.
Both the Bereng and Mpholo families are still reeling from the devastating news of Katlego’s corpse being used to help Bester in his escape from the sophisticated Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein.
What troubles them further is that the friends who accompanied Katlego on a night out are nowhere to be found. The circumstances around the release of his corpse from the Free State Government Mortuary in Bloemfontein is also shrouded in uncertainty. Answers are sought as to how it was possible that Katlego’s corpse was smuggled into, and later set alight in, the prison cell Bester was held.
“The pain the families are feeling is agonising and unbearable.
“I am traumatised after seeing his charred remains,” said Mantsane Bereng, Katlego’s aunt and the family spokesperson.
Bereng said the family was emotionally drained because of the circumstances surrounding Katlego’s death and the use of his corpse as a decoy to free Bester.
They believe if the people who went out with Katlego were his true friends, they would have looked after him.
“That one thing, among others, shows the value of Bester and his life over that of my son Katlego,” said his father, Bareng Mpholo.
He has dismissed reports that Katlego was roaming the streets with Bester and his lover, Dr Nandipha Magudumana.
Katlego was the deputy chairperson of the Bloemfontein Celtic Kopano branch. He was a staunch supporter of the now defunct team.
Katlego was laid to rest on Sunday (07/05) in Bloemfontein.
The police’s forensics team positively identified Katlego’s charred body in Bester’s prison cell at the privately-run Mangaung Correctional Centre. This revelation then led to the search and successful re-arrest of Bester, along with his lover, in Tanzania last month.
