Two years have passed since the shocking discovery of Katlego Bereng’s charred remains inside convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester’s prison cell at the G4S-run Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein. Yet, for his mother, Monica Matsie, the grief is still raw, and the fight for justice continues.
Bereng, a 32-year-old father of two, had no criminal record and had never been arrested. Despite this, his body was found in Cell 35, where Bester had been serving his sentence before staging a notorious escape. For Matsie, the circumstances remain a mystery. “It’s an unbearable pain that will never go away,” she says. “I still don’t know how my son ended up in that prison cell. Nobody has told me the truth.”
The Children Left Behind
The loss has left Bereng’s children traumatized. His six-year-old son now attends therapy but continues to struggle. “He can’t even concentrate at school,” Matsie explains. “When he plays with other children, they mock him, shouting ‘Bester, Bester.’ He wakes up at night screaming from nightmares.”
Her granddaughter, who has just started Grade 1, also suffers from the emotional scars of her father’s death. She frequently asks questions about why her father was killed and grows anxious whenever her grandmother’s health declines. “She always says life would be different if her dad were still alive,” Matsie says.
A Mother’s Own Struggles
The tragedy has taken a heavy toll on Matsie herself. She has been admitted to hospital several times, her body struggling under the weight of grief and stress. “My health is up and down,” she admits. “I feel forgotten in all of this. My son’s story seems to have been pushed aside, yet he was the real victim.”
While much of the public attention has focused on Bester’s audacious escape and the involvement of high-profile individuals like Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, Matsie feels her son’s life and memory have been overshadowed.
Awaiting Justice
The Free State High Court will this Friday host the final pretrial hearing in Bester’s prison escape case. For many, the court proceedings promise answers. But for Matsie, they represent something deeper — a hope that justice for her son will finally come.
“My son never deserved this,” she says firmly. “He was a father, a son, and a man who had never been in trouble with the law. Until the truth is revealed and those responsible are punished, I will not rest.”
A Family Still in Pain
The tragedy of Katlego Bereng is more than just part of the Thabo Bester saga. It is the story of a family torn apart, children left to cope with bullying and trauma, and a mother burdened by unanswered questions.
Two years on, Monica Matsie continues her fight, holding on to one plea: “I want justice for my son.”
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