Dr Nandipha Magudumana. Picture: Twitter/@AdvoBarryRoux
The girlfriend of Facebook rapist Thabo Bester, Nandipha Magudumana, collapsed in the holding cells of the Park Road Police Station in Bloemfontein ahead of her court appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The matter has been delayed until she feels better.
Magudumana’s lawyer Machini Motloung said she is not feeling well.
“She is in the cells, I don’t need to be a medical expert to see it. She is on the floor, these are the harshest inhumane conditions one can be subjected to. Even accused persons have rights. Now we are sitting here with someone who is unwell,” he told journalists.
Motloung said it is unclear why Magudumana was taken to the Park Road Police Station.
Bester and Magudumana are expected to come face to face for the second time after she claimed during her bail bid in September that he forced her to skip the country with him, effectively kidnapping her.
During the couples last court appearance, they were smitten with each other even holding hands in the dock.
Bester and Magudumana and 10 others face several charges including fraud and corruption, aiding and abetting a prisoner to escape and tampering with a corpse.
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. A Zimbabwean national was arrested for allegedly helping Magudumana claim a body under false pretences.
ALSO READ: Rapist Thabo Bester’s shocking demand letter to block tell-all book
During her bail application in September, which was denied, Magudumana alleged she was taken out of South Africa against her will by Bester.
“On or about the 17th of March 2023 I was in the company of accused number five (Bester). I was instructed and commanded by accuse number five to get into the vehicle and leave the premises to a destination unknown to me at the time.
“I refused and wanted an explanation but he forced me into the vehicle and I succumbed to pressure due to the threats he directed at me. I was defenceless, helpless and had no one to report to at the time,” said Magudumana.
Bester and Magudumana were arrested in April, about 10km out of Arusha in Tanzania, after fleeing the hotel they were staying in.
Both are currently in custody, Bester at Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Gauteng and Magudumana at Kokstad Prison in KwaZulu-Natal.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Lovebirds Thabo Bester and Nandipha reunite for first time after arrest
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