Katlego Bereng laid to rest in final funeral after his body was burnt in Mangaung Correctional Services Centre

Katlego Bereng laid to rest in final funeral after his body was burnt in Mangaung Correctional Services Centre. (Read More Here).

A post-mortem confirmed that Bereng died due to blunt force trauma to the head. (Read More Here).

An investigation revealed that he was already dead when a fire broke out in Bester's prison cell.

The probe into his death continues, and earlier in the week, murder charges against those implicated in Bester’s escape were dropped.

Bereng was remembered by friends and family at a memorial service, held on Thursday. Family and friends of Katlego Bereng, whose body was used as a decoy in convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester's prison break, gathered in Bloemfontein for his funeral on Sunday.  

The burnt remains of Bereng, aged 31 and a father of two, were found in Bester's single cell in the Mangaung Correctional Services Centre a year ago.

After a year-long search for him, his family learnt it was his body that had been found in the cell of the man dubbed the “Facebook rapist”. Bereng's fingerprints, obtained at the National Hospital in Bloemfontein, were used to identify him. 

Investigations have thus far revealed that he died from a blunt force trauma to the head and was already dead when his body was placed in Bester's cell and set alight. 

On Sunday, Bereng's remains were first brought to his home before being transported to the Lesley Monnanyane hall for his funeral service. Mpholo expressed the family’s mixed emotions and their reliance on support from relatives on both sides, as well as their faith in God to help them through this challenging time.

Many South Africans still hope that Bereng will receive justice, with some expressing their frustration over the failed justice system and the tragic circumstances of his death.

Taking to social media, some said they are praying for Bereng’s spirit to fight for justice. Others expressed their sorrow for his tragic demise.

The family of the eighth accused, Natassja Jansen, was visibly upset outside the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, May 3, during her bail hearing.

The circumstances surrounding how Bereng’s body arrived at the Mangaung Correctional Centre remain a mystery.

A postmortem report revealed that the 31-year-old died from blunt force trauma to the head, not the staged fire in the prison cell.