Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana make virtual court appearances

Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana Picture: Se-Anne Rall

Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana Picture: Se-Anne Rall

Published May 16, 2023

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Cape Town – The matter against Mzansi’s ride-or-die couple, Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana was postponed in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

The couple appeared in court virtually.

Bester known as the ‘Facebook rapist’ appeared via audio-visual remand (AVR) while his lover, Magudumana appeared via Zoom.

Bester is currently being held at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility, in Pretoria.

According to a previous report by IOL, Bester appeared virtually as security concerns were raised.

The five former G4S employees accused of aiding and abetting Bester in his prison escape, appeared in the dock, alongside Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni.

The matter against Bester, Magudumana and her father, Sekeleni has been postponed until June 20.

The latest official to be arrested is Mutenyane Masukela who allegedly opened the gates for Bester.

The accused, including Magudumana, face multiple charges of fraud and corruption, as well as those relating to violating a corpse, harbouring and concealing an escaped offender and defeating the ends of justice.

The bail hearing for G4S guards Senohe Matsoara, Motenyani Masukela, Tieho Makhotsa and Natassja Jansen, as well as Integritron Integrated Solutions technician Teboho Lipholo, is set to continue and the cross-examination of police witness Tieho Flyman.

Sekeleni is currently out on R10 000 bail.

Magudumana was the only accused who had provisionally abandoned her bail application last week, citing new evidence.

Magudumana and Bester, together with a Mozambican national, were arrested in Arusha, Tanzania earlier last month, after they fled the country when Bester’s prison escape came to light.

Bester escaped from jail in May 2022, after faking his death with the help of his friends from G4S, who brought a corpse to his private cell and burnt it.

The 30-year-old Katlego Bereng’s body was set alight in Bester’s prison cell to fake the Facebook rapist’s death.

robin.francke@inl.co.za

IOL