By: Natasha Archary

Convicted rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester and his alleged accomplice, Dr Nandipha Magudumana both made virtual court appearances on Tuesday, 16 May.
While the matter has been postponed to 20 June to allow for further investigations, it wasn’t clear why both Bester and Dr Nandipha did not appear in court in person.
Dr Nandipha’s legal team, former Legal Aid Head, Adv Machini Motloung and Adv Frans Dlamini said it was their client’s prerogative to conduct a virtual appearance.
Advocate Motloung said it was per the Section 157, Capital A regulations, which is an “empowering” section to deal with proceedings in this manner.
The reasons for Thabo Bester’s virtual appearance were linked to him being a security risk.
Bester made his virtual appearance from the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Services facility in Pretoria.
With a new legal team in place, Bester’s attorney Advocate Phila asked the court to furnish them with documentation that the man before court is actually Thabo Bester.
Bester’s lawyer said this was the same request that the State Prosecutor put forward to confirm the identity of Dr Nandipha in court.
Advocate Phila also requested that Bester be transported to Bloemfontein to allow his legal team to have face to face interaction with him.
However, the State opposed the request for Bester to be transported to Bloemfontein, saying virtual consultations should suffice as per previous negotiations.
Bail applications 6 other co-accused in the Thabo Bester case have also been postponed to 20 June.
The 6 co-accused are:
- Dr Nandipha’s father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni
- G4S security supervisor, Senohe Matsoara
- CCTV technician, Teboho James Lipholo
- Suspended G4S guard, Motenyane John Masukela
- Former G4S control room operators Tieho Frans Makhotsa and Nastassja Jansen
All 6 face charges of corruption, fraud, defeating the ends of justice, escaping from custody, assisting an inmate to escape and violation of a body.
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