Overview

• Thabo Bester, a convicted murderer and rapist, escaped from a maximum security South African prison with the help of guards who helped him stage his death in a fire.
• Bester was found in Tanzania a week later with his girlfriend, who is expected to face charges for helping orchestrate the elaborate escape plot.
• The escape and subsequent manhunt sparked outrage in South Africa, where Bester was already notorious for using Facebook to lure his victims.
• A parliamentary inquiry is investigating prison officials and the private security firm guarding the prison for the massive security failures that allowed Bester to escape.
• Bester has been returned to prison, where he was serving a life sentence for murder, rape, and other violent crimes.