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Monica Matsie is the mother of Katlego Bereng, the man whose charred body was found in Bester’s cell
In an exclusive interview with SABC, the mother of Katlego Bereng, the man whose charred body was found in the rape and murder convict Thabo Bester’s cell at G4S prison in Bloemfontein, bears it all, her pain, grief and confusion.
Monica Matsie says she remains distraught as she finds herself forgotten, while still waiting for answers on how her son ended up in a prison cell when he has never been arrested.
The final pretrial hearing into the prison escape of Bester from the G4S prison in Bloemfontein will be heard in the Free State High Court this Friday.
It’s been an emotionally gruelling two years for the mother of the man whose charred remains were found in murder and rape convict Thabo Bester’s cell at the G4S prison in Bloemfontein.
Katlego Bereng was a 32-year-old father of two who had never been arrested in his life, but ended up in cell 35, where Bester was incarcerated.
His mother’s emotions are still as raw as when she discovered where Bereng was found.
“It’s an unbearable pain that will never go away. His children are also grown … they even know how their father was killed. The one who is six years old also attends a psychologist. Is that life? He can’t even concentrate at school. Every time he meets other children, they shout Bester, Bester. He is now Bester.”
Matsie says her granddaughter, who is in Grade 1 now, faces bullying as her peers tease her by calling her Bester.
“She always asks questions. When I get sick, she gets worried because it happens over and over again. I always get admitted. Last time it was for two weeks, so my health is on and off. The child cannot even sleep because of bad dreams, and he would scream at night. She always says that if his dad was around, things would be different. Neither of them is coping; they ask why their dad was killed. Why did Nandipha and Bester kill their father?”
VIDEO | Thabo Bester, co-accused pre-trial
She says the state has failed her. She feels forgotten.
“So, I am not ok at all. I am not happy with the state because they are no longer briefing me, even when the a court appearance. They just ignored me and made as if Katleho didn’t have parents.”
Matsie remembers every detail that came out in court during the bail application. Her raw emotions indicate how heartbroken she is.
“When they killed my son, they were not busy with lawyers. They planned all this so that they could go to Tanzania…..I would still be looking for my son without knowing his whereabouts… my only child. Now I draw strength from his children. What will happen if their mothers take them away? What will I do then? It’s like I’m a woman who has never given birth, or I give birth to a dog that was burnt. Which means my son was just a dog to them, something that can be easily burned inside prison. He was never arrested, didn’t even know a prison cell. At his age, he didn’t know the inside of a cell, even to stand in court. But now they killed him and took him to G4S to burn him. Those people who were at the gate are not found guilty. Someone is even acquitted because there is no evidence, but he was on duty when this happened,” she explains.
The only link connecting Matsie to her son is her grandchildren. Even so, she worries that their mothers might one day take them from her.
“That’s why I am saying they failed me. So now, when the trial begins, they should make a plan. I want this case resolved so that I know what really happened to my son. Also want to know who killed him and why. All of them should say why they did that. Instead, they are having a nice time, even in prison. Nandipha is having it nice, what about my son? He is just bones now being eaten by worms. While they carry on with their lives, paying lawyers and putting on make-up when appearing in court as if nothing happened. They don’t even wear the uniform.”
She says she has waited far too long for answers and wants the whole truth to come out during the trial.
“They took the body of my child to Gauteng. These people were busy with my child, they told themselves. It’s only God that we were able to find his body, or he was fighting for himself, I don’t know.”
The grieving mother has endless questions and her health is deteriorating. “I am still busy with counselling, but I am not getting better at all. I was thinking I would be better, but I am becoming worse because when I attend the counsel they ask me questions that I don’t have answers for. They are difficult questions.”
The trial is expected to begin on the 10th of November until December.
