Overview
- Free State High Court convenes Friday to decide if the long-delayed trial of Thabo Bester, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana and co-accused can proceed.
- Prosecutors have charged several defendants over the May 2022 Mangaung Prison escape, including counts of aiding an escape, arson and violating a corpse.
- Named co-accused include Magudumana, her father Zolile Sekeleni, and former prison officials Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo and Tieho Makhotsa.
- Bester maintains he lacks sufficient time to consult his lawyers, and the court must clarify his legal fees before setting a trial date.
- Sekeleni’s representation remains unresolved after a legal aid application was refused, and the court may hear details of Magudumana’s planned Constitutional Court challenge to her deportation.