Thabo Bester prison escape: Dr Nandipha, five others set to apply for bail

Six people, including Dr Nandipha Magudumana, the lover of convicted Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, are due to appear in court on Thursday to apply for bail.

The Bloemfontein Magistrates Court has dedicated two days, Thursday and Friday, to hear their bail applications for allegedly aiding Bester’s escape from prison last year.

ALSO READ: Magudumana and co-accused remanded in custody as bail hearing postponed

Magudumana along with former G4S security supervisor Senohe Matsoara, suspended G4S guard Motenyane John Masukela and Integritron CCTV technician Teboho James Lipholo will return to court for their bail hearing.

Tieho Frans Makhotsa and Nastassja Jansen, both former G4S control room operators, were arrested last week and will be joining the other suspects in court for their bail hearing.

Charges

They are all facing charges of corruption, fraud, defeating the ends of justice, escaping from custody, assisting an inmate to escape, and violation of a body, among others.

RELATED: NPA drops murder charge against Thabo Bester, co-accused

At the accused’s previous court appearance last week, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) withdrew the murder charge against them on a provisional basis, following the presentation of additional evidence by the investigating team.

Thabo Bester prison escape

Bester escaped from the G4S-run Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC) in Bloemfontein in May 2022, after it was initially believed he had died by suicide after setting himself alight in his cell.

An investigation revealed that the charred body that was used as a decoy during the prison escape belonged to Katlego Bereng.

Bester and Magudumana were arrested last month, about 10km outside Arusha in Tanzania, after fleeing the hotel they were staying in.

According to the NPA’s charges sheet, prison wardens were offered bribes of between R1 100 and R105 000 to help with the escape.

The CCTV operators were allegedly promised bribes of R2.5million – but, according to the NPA, were given payments of R40 000.

NOW READ: Thabo Bester: ‘Dr Nandipha said she was being held against her will’