Thabo Bester prison escape trial will not begin this year in the Free State High Court due to delays

The Thabo Bester prison escape trial will not begin this year in the Free State High Court due to delays caused by the switching of legal representatives and matters running concurrently in other courts.

Bester, his alleged accomplice Dr Nandipha Magudumana and their seven co-accused returned to the court in Bloemfontein for an update on readiness for trial.

They are accused of planning and orchestrating Bester's alleged brazen escape from Mangaung Prison in May 2022, where he was serving a life sentence.

One of the reasons the Thabo Bester prison escape trial has not kicked off, two and a half years after his re-arrest, is because of his frequent change of legal representatives.

READ: Magudumana’s bid for freedom in ConCourt stalls main trial involving Bester

On Friday, Bester fired his recent attorneys and appointed his fifth legal team since his arrest in 2023.

But it is Nandipha Magudumana's legal bid in the Constitutional Court, where she is challenging her deportation, that is keeping the trial from getting underway.

Prosecutor Amanda Bester said this matter is only likely to begin trial next year.

Bester and his co-accused will return to court on the 5th of December for an update on Magudumana’s constitutional court bid and the readiness for trial.