Latest news with #ThaboBester
eNCA
21-07-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
State labels Thabo Bester a 'disgruntled' inmate
PRETORIA - Thabo Bester is a disgruntled inmate whose latest court application has no prospects of success. That's according to the state's counsel. In a virtual hearing, Bester is appealing the dismissal of his Section 35 application in the Free State High Court. He insists his prison conditions are preventing him from adequately preparing for trial. Bester is demanding up to 7 hours consultation time with his lawyers and access to an electronic device. In February, Free State Deputy Judge President Nobulawo Mbhele dismissed his initial application. Bester is now appealing that decision.
IOL News
17-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Behind the scenes of entrepreneurship lurks struggles with mental health issues
A global survey of 227 entrepreneurs representing 46 countries, reveals that a staggering 87.7% admitted to struggling with at least one mental health issue. Image: AI LAB Entrepreneurship in South Africa, particularly within its vibrant townships and sprawling rural areas, often gets spray painted with a smooth airbrush of unwavering resilience and boundless innovation. Rightly so, because the grit it takes to build a business from the ground up in these communities is nothing short of heroic, an audacious act of the KZN Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Yet, beneath the inspirational headlines and promise of radical economic development, there's a solemn whisper, a silent groan, "Ooh, I'm done with this!" that often goes off in broad day light. It is a lament of the mind and soul where a friend once said, 'I'm in pain, but I can't identify the part of the body that is experiencing this excruciating agony'. This unforgiving pain has no medical remedy, yet it lodges freely in our fragile souls. Entrepreneurs are not just battling balance sheet numbers; but they are wrestling with extremely apprehensive anxiety, miserable depression, and sheer exhaustion of carrying the weight of their dreams and that their entire families are on their shoulders. In a society where endurance is often seen as the only option, admitting defeat, is unthinkable, feels like a total betrayal. According to the Founder's Report, Navigating Entrepreneurial Mental Health: Insights from the Trenches published this year, a global survey of 227 entrepreneurs representing 46 countries, reveals that a staggering 87.7% admitted to struggling with at least one mental health issue. That's not a glitch. That is nearly nine out of 10 entrepreneurs swearing in the shower before heading to a business pitch event. Big respect to entrepreneurs, neh? These legends are out here catching business and pain like it's a buffet with no side plates — just anxiety served extra hot. The report notes that 50.2% of founders are walking bundles of anxiety and 45.8% are struggling with high stress. Not because they're weak, but because entrepreneurship in South Africaoften means managing unreliable cash flow, municipality load reduction, and dealing with unscrupulous clients. Look, it's not shocking that 39.2% of entrepreneurs are stressing about money 24/7 — and no, it's not because they went wild at Woolies — it is because month-end in a small business is like Survivor: MSME Edition. Who gets paid first — the reputable supplier, the devoted employee, or the benevolent landlord? And just when you think you're getting your acts together, here comes 34.4% of entrepreneurs waving the burnout flag, with no 'Mchunu' benefits of a special leave. On top of that 31.7% feel like frauds, (a.k.a Thabo Bester launching a business behind prison walls). Yes, even the founder with the killer elevator pitch sometimes Groks 'how to not ruin your life with your own startup.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading While others snore like a tractor at night, 21.6% of entrepreneurs barely close their eyes. Forget lullabies — small business owners are kept awake by delivery vans that vanish off the radar, customers who ghost, and suppliers who only reply on the 5th reminder. Running an SMME isn't a job, it's a 24/7 emotional rollercoaster where sleep is optional, but panic attacks are order of the day. Who needs horror movies when you've got fleet signals disappearing into the night? Most SMME owners don't have a VIP section in high society — if they did, the entrepreneurial grind wouldn't feel like a solo midnight stroll through Lonely Street Avenue. With 26.9% of entrepreneurs saying they feel isolated, it's clear the hustle life isn't as social as those networking brunches make it seem. Between juggling invoices, chasing clients, and pretending you understand tax law, there's barely time for friends unless you count your laptop and that overused coffee mug. Meanwhile, 26.9% of entrepreneurs are stuck in a wrestling match with work-life balance — and mood spoiler alert: work's winning by a TKO. Can you really blame them? For most SMMEs, the only 'me time' they get is when the Wi-Fi crashes and Joburg does the honourable thing throttling water forces an entrepreneur to do passport photo wash. According to the report, 13.7% of entrepreneurs say their business is putting their relationships on the rocks — and honestly, who's surprised? Missing bae's birthday dinner because you're stuck pitching to a client who still hasn't paid your first invoice? Yoh. You're not just missing dessert — you're inviting to be served silent treatment for the whole week. Meanwhile, 12.3% of founders say they feel hopeless, which is a bit rich considering most of us make a living selling hope. Mental health for entrepreneurs isn't just a 'nice-to-have,' it's a survival tool. You can't build the next big thing when your brain's running on 5% with no charger in sight. We don't need more hustle quotes on Instagram, we need proper support: real check-ins, peer-to-peer vent sessions, and funders who get that 'resilience' doesn't mean carrying the whole business on your back until you pass out by the coffee machine. Because let's be honest — behind every slick pitch deck is a sleep-deprived founder running on caffeine, and a half-eaten Gatsby from three days ago. So the next time someone says, 'Just push harder,' send them this article and say: 'I'm not lazy, my bru. I'm just trying not to die while building generational wealth.' Bongani Ntombela is the Programmes Director at 22 On Sloane, Africa's Largest Entrepreneurship Campus. Image: Supplied Bongani Ntombela, Executive: Programmes at 22 On Sloane. *** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL. BUSINESS REPORT
The South African
11-07-2025
- The South African
Step aside Thabo Bester! Vusi Matlala and wife wear Gucci to court
Flamboyant businessman Vusi Matlala is giving Thabo Bester a run for his money after appearing at the Alexandria Magistrates Court wearing a Gucci suit worth over R100 000. The 'tenderpreneur', his wife Tsakani, and two others are facing charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and money laundering. Like Bester and his co-accused Nandipha Magudumana, Matlala and his wife are also awaiting trial. On Friday, Vusi Matlala, his wife Tsakani, and their co-accused appeared in the Alexandria Magistrates Court relating to charges of a 2023 attempted hit on his ex-girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane. The case has been remanded to 26 August. Appearing before the court, Vusi Matlala wore a navy and pink Gucci monogrammed pinstripe suit, which retails for around $6 000 (R107 000). His wife Tsakani wore a grey skirt suit with matching Gucci spectacles and a Louis Vuitton belt. Like Thabo Bester's recent appearance, Matlala also sported a clean-shaven look with edgy, black glasses. Similarly to Bester – who has also worn high-fashion designers, Louis Vuitton and Burberry to court – the couple are known for their lavish lifestyles, flashy cars, and designer clothes. Matlala has been hailed as a ' tenderpreneur' for allegedly fraudulently acquiring multi-million rand government deals thanks to his high-ranking contacts. Thabo Bester and Vusi Matlala are fellow inmates at Kgosi Mampuru prison. Images via X In his previous appearance, Matlala wore a black and white Alexander McQueen jersey, no doubt showing off his wealth. Earlier this week, Correctional Services National Commissioner, Makgothi Thobakgale, confirmed that Thabo Bester and Vusi Matlala are inmates at Kgosi Mampuru's C-Max prison in Pretoria. Matlala was recently transferred to Kgosi Mampuru's C-Max after he was discovered in possession of a cellphone over the weekend. In 2023, Thabo Bester was also transferred to the maximum security facility after his prison escape from Magaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein a year earlier. During his incarceration, Bester unlawfully used the cellphones and laptops in his cell. In a follow-up raid this week, Matlala shared his concerns with the National Commissioner about his designer belongings. Thobakgale said of Matlala's complaints: 'He knows how he needs to channel the request. The same with Thabo Bester, he made a request. And the last time I was here, he submitted something to me in writing.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
10-07-2025
- The South African
Serial killers to flashy fraudsters: Kgosi Mampuru's infamous inmates
Kgosi Mampuru – the home of high-profile and dangerous inmates like Thabo Bester, Vusi Matlala, and Rosemary Ndlovu, among many others – is one of only two super-maximum security prisons in South Africa. With its 24-hour surveillance and solitary confinement, the correctional centre's C-Max division is cited as being 'impossible for a security breach'. Previously known as Pretoria Central Prison, it was renamed by former President Jacob Zuma in 2013. Housed in Kgosi Mampura is the C-Max division, a maximum security section of the correctional centre. Calling it home are several past and present high-profile inmates like… Apartheid-era assassin Eugene Terblanche Killer nurse Daisy de Melker Chris Hani killer Janusz Walus Serial rapist Ananias Mathe Serial murderer Rosemary Ndlovu 'Dros Rapist' Nicholas Ninow Reeva Steenkamp's murderer, Oscar Pistorius Murderer, rapist and fraudster Thabo Bester Also being held at Kgosi Mampuru is controversial tenderpreneur Vusi Matlala, accused of fraud, attempted murder, among many other charges. The hotshot businessman was recently moved to maximum security after he was found with a cellphone in his medium security prison cell over the weekend. In 2019, former Minister of Correctional Services Ronald Lamola reopened the doors to Kgosi Mampuru's C-Max division after a multi-million rand upgrade. The division can hold between 300 and 500 inmates. It is known for the following… 24-hour surveillance High-tech control both in and outside the prison. Round-the-clock contact with 'selected high trade correctional officers.' Inmates who spend 23 out of 24 hours inside their cells under solitary confinement and are shackled whenever they leave. Thabo Bester and Vusi Matlala are fellow inmates at Kgosi Mampuru's C-Max prison. Images via X Lamola said at the time: 'This place is a maximum facility where we house hardened criminals or inmates who are placed in the facility for behavioural modification, and to ensure that they conduct themselves in a disciplined manner in line with the Correctional Services Act'. Former Correctional Services National Commissioner, Arthur Fraser, added about Kgosi Mampuru's C-Max: 'This facility is designed in a way that makes it close to impossible for a security breach, especially with regard to escapes'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
10-07-2025
- The South African
Mansions to C-Max: Thabo Bester and Vusi Matlala are now neighbours
A surprise raid by the Department of Correctional Services has confirmed that notorious criminal Thabo Bester is in the company of fellow inmates with high-profile figures like Vusi 'Cat' Matlala and Radovan Krejčíř at the Kgosi Mampuru prison. The trio is being kept under maximum security and 24-hour surveillance. The C-Max correctional facility is known for housing offenders like serial rapist Ananias Mathe, serial murderer Rosemary Ndlovu and Chris Hani's murderer Janusz Walus. On Tuesday, 8 July, Correctional Services National Commissioner, Makgothi Thobakgale, conducted a surprise raid at the Kgosi Mampuru prison. A clip posted on social media confirmed several high-profile profiles like Thabo Bester, Vusi 'Cat' Matlala, and Radovan Krejčíř were incarcerated on the same floor. The trio is being kept in isolation behind steel doors under 24-hour surveillance. Like Thabo Bester, Vusi Matlala now calls Kgosi Mampuru home. Both men are awaiting trial on high-profile charges. Images via YouTube screenshot: SABC News. Kgosi Mampuru is one of two super-maximum security prisons in South Africa, the other being Ebongweni in Kokstad. Like Thabo Bester, Vusi Matlala has been accused of being a hotshot businessman who lived a flashy lifestyle and ran a string of businesses aided by high-ranking connections and fraudulent tenders. Bester is still serving time for his life sentences relating to rape and murder. He is also awaiting trial over charges of his 2022 prison escape, as well as fraud, corruption, and violating multiple bodies. Meanwhile, Matlala is currently facing charges of money laundering. He is also charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder based on a 2023 attempted hit on his ex-girlfriend, socialite Tebojo Thobejane. Vusi Matlala was recently transferred to Kgosi Mampuru's C-Max after he was discovered in possession of a cellphone over the weekend. In 2023, Thabo Bester was also transferred to the maximum security facility after his prison escape from Magaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein a year earlier. During his incarceration, Bester unlawfully made use of the cellphones and laptops at his disposal in his cell. In a follow-up raid this week, Matlala shared his concerns with the National Commissioner about his designer belongings. Thobakgale said of Matlala's complaints: 'He knows how he needs to channel the request. The same with Thabo Bester, he made a request. And the last time I was here, he submitted something to me in writing.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
