Dr Nandipha Magadumana and Thabo Bester were arrested in April, about 10km outside of Tanzania’s capital city, Arusha, after fleeing from the hotel they were staying in. Picture: Screengrab
Convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester has reportedly issued a letter of demand to NB Publishers, GroundUp News and several booksellers for a digital copy of a new book titled “The Thabo Bester Story: The Facebook Rapist, the Celebrity Doctor and the Escape from Cell 35.”
The letter was sent on behalf of the Facebook rapist by law firm Loubser and Loubser Inc this week, according to GroundUp.
“If NB Publishers fails to provide a digital copy, Bester and Magudumana will launch an urgent court application to interdict the publication of the book,” the letter said.
“[Neither] our client nor Dr Magudumana have granted the right, permission or authority to any party to write and/or publish the book. We also place on record that there were no personal interviews held with our client or Dr Magudumana, which raises imminent concerns regarding the accuracy and correctness of the version which stands to be published soon.”
According to Loubser and Loubser Inc, Bester wants to “avoid being prosecuted in and by the media before the matter is concluded in the normal cause [sic] of the legal processes”.
ALSO READ: ‘Flight risk’ Nandipha Magudumana denied bail
Bester escaped from the G4S-run Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC) in Bloemfontein in May 2022, after it was initially believed he had committed suicide by setting himself alight in his cell.
However, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), which originally declared him dead, confirmed the charred body found in his cell was not that of Bester, who was convicted in 2012 of rape and murder.
Magudumana is charged with aiding and abetting Bester’s daring and elaborate escape from prison that captivated the nation.
Bester and Magudumana were arrested in April, about 10km out of Arusha in Tanzania, after fleeing the hotel they were staying in.
Both are in custody, Bester at Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Gauteng and Magudumana at Kokstad Prison in KwaZulu-Natal. They are expected back in court on 11 October.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Lovebirds Thabo Bester and Nandipha reunite for first time after arrest
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