Originally scheduled for (10/2), the trial was delayed after unresolved legal issues arose, primarily surrounding Bester’s demands for specific conditions during his detention. 

He raised concerns about his detention conditions, which included requests for access to a laptop, preferred foods, and clothing during court appearances. Bester’s legal team insisted that the trial would not proceed until these issues were addressed.

At the same time, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, Bester’s girlfriend and co-accused, was awaiting judgment from the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on her attempt to have her 2023 arrest in Tanzania declared unlawful. 

Her legal team approached the SCA after the Free State High Court ruled in June 2023 that Magudumana had voluntarily consented to her return to South Africa. Despite her claims of abduction by the police, the Supreme Court sided with the lower court’s decision.

This significant ruling means that the stage is now set for the trial to continue, with the proceedings expected to run until 19 September 2025 at the Free State Division of the High Court in Bloemfontein. The focus will be on the charges against both Bester and Magudumana, as well as several co-accused individuals who have been implicated in the elaborate escape of Thabo Bester from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in 2022.

During a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday (17/6), state prosecutor Amanda Bester announced the withdrawal of charges against Motanyane Masukela, a former G4S security company employee. Masukela had been charged in connection with Bester’s escape, facing multiple allegations including fraud and violating a corpse.

Masukela, who had become embroiled in the case, shared the emotional and financial toll it had taken on him. He described the intense emotional weight of being associated with a convicted murderer, which he said was “too much to bear”. 

Masukela further admitted that appearing in court alongside Bester and the other co-accused had tainted his dignity, illustrating the profound impact this case has had on those involved, whether directly or indirectly.

Meanwhile, ActionSA, a South African political party, has called for Magudumana to be held fully accountable for her role in the case. 

The party’s Free State chairperson, Patricia Kopane, emphasised the significance of the SCA ruling, which she said is a vital step towards restoring justice in South Africa.

“This ruling reaffirms that South Africa is no refuge for those who commit heinous crimes under the cloak of professional respectability. Her bid to escape accountability has failed, and she must now face the consequences of her role in the Thabo Bester escape and the murder of a young man whose family still awaits justice,” Kopane said.

Kopane went on to stress that Magudumana’s involvement in Bester’s escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre should not be minimised, asserting that her actions were part of a far-reaching conspiracy that involved several people in high places.

Bester, Magudumana, and the other co-accused face a total of 38 charges, which include serious allegations of fraud, corruption, money laundering, assisting an inmate to escape, violation of a corpse, arson, and defeating the ends of justice.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cg