South Africa: Thabo Bester Trial Postponed Again, This Time to 2027

The plea and trial in the Thabo Bester prison escape case has been postponed yet again, this time until next year.

The matter returned to the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein on Friday, where judges were due to hear whether outstanding legal issues had been resolved and the case was ready to proceed.

Bester and his former girlfriend, Nandipha Magudumana, appeared virtually, while their co-accused appeared in person. Once again, the matter was postponed.

“The matter is then so postponed for plea and trial to 19 April 2027, up until 18 June 2027, again here in Bloemfontein in the Free State division of the High Court,” Judge Mareena Opperman said.

Proceedings were last delayed in June, after Bester’s legal team asked for more time to consult, keeping the case in limbo despite its high public profile.

Bester, a convicted murderer and rapist, Magudumana and their co-accused face charges linked to his escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022. Prosecutors allege he faked his death in a cell fire before orchestrating the breakout, sparking a nationwide manhunt. Bester and Magudumana were eventually arrested in April 2023, roughly 10km outside Arusha, Tanzania, after fleeing the hotel where they had been staying.

Among the co-accused are Magudumana’s father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, and former G4S employees Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masukela, Tieho Frans Makhotsa, Zanda Moyo and Joel Makhetha. They face charges including fraud, corruption, money laundering, assisting an inmate to escape, violation of a corpse, arson and defeating the ends of justice.

The case has been repeatedly complicated. Sekeleni has said he has no lawyer after Legal Aid rejected his application, a decision now under appeal. One accused suffered breathing difficulties during an earlier hearing, disrupting proceedings, and charges against one former G4S employee have since been withdrawn.

Magudumana has separately taken her arrest and extradition to the Constitutional Court, arguing her detention and transfer from Tanzania were unlawful; prosecutors maintain they followed due process.

Judge Opperman has warned of further delays given the sheer volume of evidence still to be reviewed. Bester’s lawyer has also raised concerns about prison conditions and his access to a laptop to prepare his defence.

By Scrolla.