Thabo Bester, Nandipha Magudumana expected back in court for pretrial conference
Convicted killer and rapist, Thabo Bester is expected to appear in court for his pre-trial conference at the Free State High Court.
Dubbed the Facebook rapist, Bester, will appear alongside his nine co-accused implicated in his escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre on May 3, 2022.
Making up the list of Bester's co-accused are; Bester's lover Dr Nandipha Magudumana and her father Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni who face charges of fraud, corruption, aiding and abetting a convict, violation of a corpse, defeating the ends of justice and arson.
Speaking to eNCA, Dr Sathasivan “Saths” Cooper said investigating authorities need to ensure an iron-clad case because every loophole will be exploited to the fullest.
Cooper, a clinical psychologist, said Bester and Magudumana will use every trick in the book and whoever is around them and this shows that they have very little empathy for everyone but themselves.
Bester and Magudumana were arrested in April 2023, in Arusha, Tanzania after fleeing South Africa. Bester fled custody at the G4S-run Mangaung Correctional Centre after being found guilty of the murder of Nomfundo Tiyhulu by the Western Cape High Court.
He was spotted in Sandton in March 2022 despite reports that he died when a fire broke out in his cell.
Investigations later revealed that the body of Katleho Bereng had been placed into Bester's cell as a decoy while he fled the facility.
Following their arrest and the arrests of others, the accused have appeared several times before court.
Bester is currently in custody at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, while Magudumana is in custody at the Bizzah Makhate Correctional Centre in Kroonstad.
IOL