The new advocate representing convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester, Lerato Moela, has achieved his dream of appearing on TV after expressing his desire for fame.
In a Facebook post dated January 14, 2022, Moela revealed that he has always been chasing fame and believed that a career in law would be his golden ticket.
“I just want to be famous and I am not apologetic about it. I tried VenRap, I tried soccer, I tried marathon, I tried accounting. LLB is going to make me a celebrity lawyer. Please ask them to televise me when I appear,” he wrote on his post.
Moela also posted a clip on his Facebook page showing himself addressing the judge in the Bloemfontein High Court, where he advocated for relaxed incarceration conditions for Bester.
Some of Moela’s posts include pictures of him posing and conversing with the well-known senior advocate Dali Mpofu.
Moela began representing Bester after the previous lawyers withdrew from the case, citing issues such as a lack of financial instructions and difficulties in consulting with him while he is detained at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Services in Pretoria, Gauteng, while the matter is being heard in Bloemfontein, Free State.
During Bester’s last appearance on July 31, Moela sought to have Bester's incarceration conditions relaxed, including changes to how he is transported from Pretoria to Bloemfontein. The application was unsuccessful, as Judge Cagney Musi described it as half-baked and not ready for trial.
Amongst other administrative irregularities that were committed, Musi said the papers were not in order.
Moela argued that the matter was urgent as Bester's incarceration conditions were allegedly affecting his mental health.
He said there was a possibility Bester would not be in a good mental state when the case returns to court in February 2025 for pre-trial.
“It is not disputed that he is incarcerated for 23 hours a day and only given one hour of exercise. We are simply saying that you act in terms of the Correctional Services Act. I can’t as a practitioner remain supine when I see those violations,” Moela said.
However, Judge Musi was not moved and said Bester’s application against his prison condition was ill-advised.
Responding in a statement after his appearance, the Department of Correctional Services rubbished Bester’s claims of being put in solitary confinement and having no access to his legal team.
The department further turned down his request to have access to a laptop or smart tablet.
"In respect of the electronic gadgets/equipment, Thabo Bester’s request cannot be accepted. That request will pose a security risk to the centre and might enable him to orchestrate another escape," said the department's spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo.
Nxumalo further rubbished Bester's allegations that he was subjected to inhumane conditions at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison where he remains in custody.
"C-Max, at Kgosi Mampuru, is a high-security facility. It comprises only of single cells. Hence, all inmates in the facility do not share a cell. Therefore, the impression created by Thabo Bester that he is in a single cell, as a form of solitary confinement, is, with respect, disingenuous," Nxumalo said.
Meanwhile, the trial against Bester and his co-accused; Dr Nandipha Magudumana, Senohe Matsoara, Zolile Sekeleni, Teboho Liphoko, Buti Masukela, Tieho Makhotsa, Zanda Moyo, and Joel Makhetha has been set down for May next year.
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