Dr Nandipha Magudumane‘s father and a former G4S employee were due to appear at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
UPDATE: Dr Nandipha’s father and his co-accused were escorts to the court dock, and the media took these videos of the pair before the start of their first appearance.
Dr Nandipha father appears in court: What charges is he facing?
The 65-year-old was arrested on Friday, 7 April 2023, at his home in Port Edward, on the same day his daughter and her fugitive lover, were captured on their way to cross the border into Kenya from Arusha, Tanzania.
While extradition talks resume between the South African government and Tanzania, in South Africa, investigators believe Dr Nandipha’s father, and an ex-Mangaung corrections officer, were instrumental in aiding Thabo Bester with his grand prison escape, which he pulled off on 3 May 2022.
According to reports, authorities have enough evidence to show that Dr Nandipha’s father, who had made his refusal to cooperate with the manhunt clear in an interview with eNCA that preceded the arrest, was not all that innocent.
In fact, mounting speculation suggests he may have assisted with the smuggling of a corpse into Bester’s cell and abetting the Facebook rapist’s daring escape from prison and out of South Africa.
Following a brief appearance, the two suspects were remanded in custody until Monday, 17 April 2023, where they will return to the docks for a bail hearing.
Brother reveals how he met Thabo Bester
Another member of the deregistered doctor made headlines for wild claims made in an interview.
Nathi Sekeleni, who was one of the early whistleblowers in Bester’s prison break, spoke candidly with eNCA reporter Silindelo Masikane about how he was allegedly introduced to the convicted serial rapist.
According to the brother, Dr Nandipha introduced Bester as TK Nkwana, a New York-based business mentor who ran a million-dollar media conglomerate.
Of course, investigations have since uncovered that the Facebook rapist was running the shell company behind bars at the time.
Sekeleni revealed shortly after Nandipha mentioned her mentor, her lifestyle changed. Apparently, the deregistered doctor suddenly indulged heavily into luxury goods, financing expensive cars and leasing top-end property in Hyde Park.
Soon, he and his wife moved to a cottage on the Hyde Park rental, and that’s when Sekeleni allegedly uncovered the true extent of his sister’s sordid acquaintance to TK Nkwana.
Sekeleni told Masikane that while he never met Bester, he “spoke to him on the phone, and he made it clear he didn’t want my family at the house.”
Tensions at the Hyde Park property allegedly erupted one evening when the brother and his wife were forcibly moved out of the cottage due to Dr Nandipha’s fears that Bester was close to killing them.
The brother claimed his relationship with Dr Nandipha deteriorated from then, and ultimately, that’s what motivated him to approach authorities, albeit his valiant signals were ignored.
Dr Nandipha and Bester are still in the custody of Tanzanian authorities, who are holding the couple for the illegal possession of fake passports, illegal entry into the country and other charges.
The fugitive couple is expected to be extradited back to South Africa.
