Dr Nandipha Magudumana and her convicted lover Thabo Bester made virtual appearances at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Here’s everything you must know.
‘Annoyed’ Thabo Bester throws another spanner in his case
A visibly peeved Bester stood stoically in a small room at the Kgosi Mampuru corrections facility, surrounded by armed prison officials, as his new legal team, led by Advocate Tsoeunyane Jeremiah Pela, came on record with yet another twist in the case.
Firstly, Bester’s team bemoaned the virtual conference, claiming it hindered Bester’s right to enjoy full access to legal representation in court.
Advocate Pela argued he had no appropriate means to consult Bester in real-time amid proceedings and, more importantly, the convicted killer’s physical appearance was imperative for the second point he raised.
Bester’s legal team sent shockwaves reverberating across the courtroom when they filed an urgent application for Bester to physically attend a court hearing as soon as Wednesday, 17 May 2023, to grill state prosecutors about the merits of their assertion that the accused before the court was, in fact, Thabo Bester.
Advocate Pela insisted that the only accompanying documents in his discovery were an arrest warrant with the name Thabo Bester listed, and a death certificate noting the passing of a man of the same name, on 3 May 2022.
Of course, and as expected, the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court dismissed the application and granted the State its postponement application. Bester will return to court on Tuesday, 20 June 2023.
Dr Nandipha reserves bail: Here’s everything we know
Following Bester’s dramatic appearance, a dolled-up Dr Nandipha turned up to a different courtroom via MS Teams.
The disgraced celebrity doctor, who faces charges of fraud, aiding and abetting Bester in his prison break and the desecration of a corpse, barely uttered a word as her legal team indicated she reserved her right to apply for bail.
The court granted Magudumana her request and she too will return to court on Tuesday, 20 June 2023, albeit, it remains unknown at this juncture if either Dr Nandipha or Bester will make physical appearances on the day.
The discretion, it seems, lies with the department of correctional services, who, last week, cited high-level security risks and wasteful expenditure as reasons behind Bester’s virtual appearance on Tuesday.
In the end, Tuesday’s court activity around the Bester prison break resulted in postponements across the board. The matter of Dr Nandipha’s father, Zolile Sekeleni was also held off until 20 June 2023.
Sekeleni is the only accused currently out on bail. The rest of the accused, Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Tieho Makhotsa and Nastassja Jansen, were still in court at the time this article was published.
Live proceedings can be watched right here: