'Totally unacceptable': Magudumana appears alone after three-hour transport delay

Dr Nandipha Magudumana, her alleged accomplice and convicted killer Thabo Bester, and five others appeared in the Free State High Court today in their prison break case. However, Magudumana made a brief appearance separately due to a significant delay in her transportation to court on Friday morning.

Magudumana's legal team is now demanding a full report detailing why Correctional Services officials delayed picking her up and transporting her to court.

READ: Thabo Bester prison escape trial postponed to July 2026

Late Arrival and Separate Appearance
The doctor, who is accused of being part of Bester’s escape from the Mangaung Private Prison in 2021 and was arrested with him in Tanzania the following year, was late for her court appearance and, as a result, had to appear alone before the judge.

Her lawyer, Machini Motloung, informed the court that the delay was entirely on the part of Correctional Services

"What she told me today is that normally she is ready to be taken to court at 6 o'clock. So she has been awake since then till 9 o'clock when they arrived to take her to court. That is totally unacceptable."

Conflicting Explanations
Prosecutor Amanda Bester told the court that the investigating officer takes full responsibility for the delay, explaining that he forgot to have a female official present to sign Magudumana out of the Kroonstad Prison.

This explanation failed to satisfy Magudumana’s lawyer.

"For fairness and for proper administration of justice, it is quite prudent that we should have a full report on what happened."

As she stood in the dock with a Bible and several books in hand, Magudumana was informed that the matter is now postponed to March.