Bester, Magudumana expected to make first High Court appearance in preparation for trial
The duo and seven of their co-accused are set to be tried for Bester’s brazen escape from the Mangaung Private Correctional Facility in May 2022.
Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana exchange whispers and held hands in the dock during the court session on 8 August 2023. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - Convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester and his accomplice, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, are expected to make their first High Court appearance in preparation for trial on Wednesday morning.
The duo and seven of their co-accused are set to be tried for Bester’s brazen escape from the Mangaung private correctional facility in May 2022.
At the time, Bester was serving a life sentence.
The pair was arrested while on the run in Tanzania in 2023.
Bester and Magudumana have not been seen together in public since she claimed he forced her to skip the country with him, effectively kidnapping her.
During the last court appearance in October, Magudumana did not make it into the dock at the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court, with her lawyers claiming that she had been dragged into a police van despite being ill.
On the same day, the State withdrew charges against three accused, who were G4S security personnel at the time of Bester’s escape, leaving nine accused remaining.
Since his arrest, Bester has had at least three attorneys working on his case, with Jan Loubser being the latest.
He told the court that he would be bolstering his legal team with prominent lawyers, including advocates Dali Mpofu and Zandile Mshololo.
State prosecutor, Amanda Bester, told the court that her case was ready for pre-trial conference in the High Court.