Thabo Bester to bring 6 different applications in several courts, says lawyer

Convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester has told the Free State High Court that he has a plethora of cases lined up that must be heard before he goes on trial.

On Friday, Bester and his six co-accused, including his alleged accomplice Dr Nandipha Magudumana, returned to the High Court for pretrial proceedings.

They are facing charges including fraud, corruption and aiding and abetting a prison escape.

The group is accused of staging Bester’s brazen escape from the Mangaung prison, where he was serving a life sentence.

Since his arrest in Tanzania in 2023, Bester has been in and out of court, from making an application for access to a laptop to trying to halt the airing of documentaries about him.

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On Friday, his lawyer told the court that he will be bringing six different applications in several courts.

These include an application to freeze his bank accounts.

Bester also wants to be classified as an awaiting-trial prisoner and not be kept with sentenced prisoners at the Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Facility.

He also plans on challenging his deportation in the High Court.