Love birds? Thabo Bester and his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magadumana were reunited in court. Photo: Screengrab
Convicted rapist Thabo Bester and his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana were reunited for the first time since their arrest in Arusha, Tanzania.
Bester and Magudumana appeared together with 10 others in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning. Their case was postponed to 11 October for further investigations.
The other accused involved in the escape include: Magudumana’s father Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, former G4S employees Senohe Matsoara, Buti (Motenyane John) Masukela, Tieho Frans Makhotsa, Nastassja Jansen, Joel Maketha, Moeketsi Ramolula, Thabang Meir, Integriton CCTV technician Teboho James Lipholo and Zando Moyo, and a Zimbabwean national who allegedly helped Magudumana claim a body under false pretences.
Six of the accused have successfully applied for bail.
The suspects are facing charges of assisting Bester to escape 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.
ALSO READ: Dr Nandipha Magudumana to hear appeal fate today
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Magudumana‘s lawyer Machini Motloung told the court she is still involved in civil litigation and will continue reserving her right to apply for bail. Magudumana applied for leave to appeal her arrest. Although this was rejected by the Bloemfontein High Court, she indicated she would approach the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
Motloung also said the manner in which Magudumana was transported “had all ingredients of indignity”.
“She was handcuffed and placed at the back of a van. When the driver speeds. She has no place to hold on to.”
Bester lawyer told the magistrate he is being ill-treated in prison adding that he spends 23 hours a day in handcuffs in his cell.
His lawyer also listed a number of luxury items, including premium brand phones and computers, high-end and expensive watches, a luxury handbag, a wedding ring, and R290 000 cash in dollars, that were reported stolen at the Lanseria Airport.
Bester and Magudumana were arrested in April, about 10km out of Arusha in Tanzania, after fleeing the hotel they were staying in.
They were arrested alongside a Mozambican national, identified as Zacharia Alberto, who was believed to have been the driver assisting them in border crossings during their escape.
ALSO READ: Tanzanian Police probe how Thabo Bester and Nandipha slipped through checkpointsA
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