Thabo Bester changes lawyers yet again in his prison escape case
Bester and his accomplice, disgraced doctor, Nandipha Magudumana, and their co-accused appeared before the High Court in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
Convicted killer and rapist, Thabo Bester, appeared before the Bloemfontein High Court on 21 February 2024. Picture: Jacques Nelles / Eyewitness News
BLOEMFONTEIN - Convicted killer and rapist, Thabo Bester, has instructed new lawyers once again in his prison escape case.
Bester and his accomplice, disgraced doctor, Nandipha Magudumana, and their co-accused appeared before the High Court in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
They face charges linked to Bester’s 2022 prison break from the Mangaung Correctional Facility.
Bester and Magudumana were arrested in April last year, in Tanzania, while on the run.
It was a busy day in the Bloemfontein High Court where Bester and Magudumana, together with their seven co-accused, took their positions in the dock.
Magudumana walked right past her accomplice as she took the number one spot in the dock and went on to share a lengthy hug with her father, Zolile Sekeleni, who is also an accused.
Several of the accused changed their legal representatives, including Bester, who is now on his fourth lawyer since his arrest.
Prosecutor Amanda Bester addressed the court on these developments.
"For accused number seven, there were two lawyers involved - a Mr Jan Loubscher as well as a Mr Mathee. Both of them filed notices regarding the withdrawal of them."
On Wednesday, a pre-trial hearing was expected to proceed but that has now been postponed to 5 June due to the changes made by the accused.