Internet sherlocks are convinced Shauwn MaMkhize was a close associate of Thabo Bester years before he escaped from Mangaung Prison and bizarrely, the point of reference in this wild claim is an interview journalist Karyn Maughan recently did with Newzroom Afrika.
Was MaMkhize a friend of Thabo Bester?
Maughan sat down for a chat with Newzroom Afrika anchor Xoli Mngambi, where she detailed critical aspects of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) case against Bester, Dr Nandipha Magudumana and four other accused, including her father Zolile Sekeleni.
While most of her insights were rooted in Dr Nandipha’s possible ‘damsel in distress’ defence, and how, on the contrary, the State’s evidence points to a more mastermind role in Bester’s escape and lavish post-prison-break lifestyle, keyboard detectives honed in on Maughan’s claims about an influential celebrity whose name showed up on records as the Facebook rapist’s visitor in 2018.
Nowhere did News24‘s legal journalist explicitly mention a name, but she did indicate that the celebrity in question was very popular and known to her and Mngambi.
However, internet sherlocks somehow determined Maughan was referencing MaMkhize.
It’s important to note that, at this juncture, neither the police nor state representatives have emerged with MaMkhize as a person of interest in Bester’s prison escape.
Moreover, Maughan’s mention of a well-known female celebrity as one of Bester’s visitors was auxiliary to her revelations about Dr Nandipha’s influence over the Facebook rapist’s pseudo lifestyle as a New York-based media magnate.
According to the legal journo, prison records support the state’s notion that before Magudumana arrived in the picture, pre-2017, Bester’s life as a prison inmate at Mangaung prison was regular.
He didn’t enjoy the freedoms he assumed after Dr Nandipha’s first visit, where it’s reported she hired top lawyers to file a slew of complaints about his living conditions.
in fact, Maughan revealed, Dr Nandipha could be implicated in a sordid plot to murder Katlego Bereng Mpholo, the man whose charred remains were smuggled into Bester’s prison cell to pull off the brazen escape on 3 May 2022.
According to court documents, Tebogo Lipholo, the techie accused of manipulating Mangaung prison’s security and CCTV systems on the night of Bester’s escape, not only handed himself over to police but he may also be open to cooperating with the state in its case against Magudumana and others.
In particular, Maughan added, investigators may have strong evidence to support the state’s position that Dr Nandipha moved the pieces around the chessboard and more shockingly, orchestrated Mpholo’s death to allow Bester to pull off the perfect prison break.
Of course, these assertions and more will be revealed later in court when the state finally presents its case but according to Maughan, the state will most likely argue against Magudumana’s bail application and, in her expert opinion, refuse any advances of cooperation from the disgraced celebrity doctor.
Dr Nandipha and her co-accused are due back in court on Tuesday, 3 May 2023,