Court to determine readiness of Thabo Bester prison escape trial

The Free State High Court is set to hear the latest arguments and determine the readiness of the prison escape trial of Thabo Bester and his co-accused.

In September, the case stalled after Bester changed legal representatives for a fourth time and his accomplice, Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s Constitutional Court battle hung in the balance.

Bester and Magudumana were arrested while on the run in Tanzania in April 2023 after his brazen escape from the Mangaung Prison, where he was serving a life sentence.

READ: Thabo Bester's new lawyers promise to stay on case as long as accused allows

They are accused of staging his death inside a prison cell, where he was serving a life sentence for murder.

When the trial was last heard in the Free State High Court in September, Bester introduced his fifth lawyer since his arrest.

The new team assured the court that they would be ready for trial in the first term of 2026

The court heard that it is Magudumana’s extradition case, which she has taken to the Constitutional Court, that is holding up the trial.

Magudumana is challenging the lawfulness of her extradition from Tanzania and is appealing a Supreme Court ruling against her.

In September, State prosecutors promised to write to the apex court, informing justices of the delays being caused by the appeal that has been brought before them.