By: Natasha Archary
South Africa’s infamous Bonnie and Clyde couple, Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana made their appearance at the High Court in Bloemfontein on Wednesday, 05 June for their pretrial.
While Bester addressed the court, making assertions that his co-accused are innocent, his lover and co-accused Dr Nandipha tried to break down into tears.
Not acknowledging Bester as she had previously done, the disgraced doctor hugged her father Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, who is one of the co-accused in the escape of the convicted rapist and murderer.
Making an impassioned statement to the court, Bester claimed he was not being treated fairly saying he was forced to dress without his usual branded clothing and labelled the most notorious criminal in the country.
“There’s no evidence that’s been brought in any sign. It’s already confirmed that I’ve escaped but no one knows the true facts.
It’s already confirmed that Thabo Bester is a rapist and a murderer but there’s no evidence. I am self-convicted, I pleaded guilty to the most dangerous unit, the Katumina Killing Squad who forced me to plead guilty.
That case has been pending for 13-years, transcripts have been missing for 13-years. But, it goes around South Africa, as a proven fact that Thabo Bester is a murderer and a rapist.
I’ve been out for a year, there’s not one charge. I am not the worst inmate in the country, I don’t have the highest counts, I have 3 counts but I am the most popular inmate in this country.
Because of the political carnage and political issues that I have in my personal capacity, that have nothing to do with these legal proceedings.
It’s unfair for these people sitting here, my so-called accused to be in court, when I know very well they have nothing to do with this.”
Thabo Bester addressed the High Court in Bloemfontein during Day 1 of his pretrial
Bester, Dr Nandipha and seven others, including the doctor’s father Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni are facing a slew of charges including aiding and abetting the convict from escaping from the Mangaung Correctional Center in May 2022.
Dr Nandipha, who is facing a slew of charges including tampering with dead bodies and assisting a convicted rapist and murderer from escaping lawful custody, claimed she was abducted/kidnapped by South African officials from Tanzania.
Bester escaped from the privately run Free State Correctional Center by faking his death in a fire that was set in his prison cell.
The body that was found in the Facebook rapist and murderer’s cell was that of 31-year old Katlego Bereng.
A few months after Bester escaped from the privately run Mangaung Correctional Center, he was spotted shopping with Dr Nandipha and her daughter in Sandton City.
The couple who enjoyed a number of romantic “prison getaways” while Bester was doing time in Mangaung, allegedly used a number of fake aliases, and are accused of orchestrating fake businesses to defraud people of millions.
Bester and Dr Nandipha were arrested in Tanzania in April 2023 after fleeing the country.
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