PHUTI MOSOMANE
CORNELIUS Sekeleni, the father of socialite doctor Dr Nandipha Magudumana, and a former G4S employee, Senohe Matsoara, have been charged with murder, arson, fraud and defeating the ends of justice.
The charges are in relation to the escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester from prison.
Sekeleni, aged 65, and Matsoara, a former prison warden, 39, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning.
They are accused of aiding and abetting Bester during his escape from prison.
State prosecutors informed the court that they have reached an agreement with the defence lawyers to defer the case to April 17, 2023, for bail proceedings.
According to Phaladi Shuping, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Free State spokesperson, both accused are facing five charges each in relation to the escape of Bester.
“The accused are facing five charges- one of the charges is murder because the evidence that has been presented to us as prosecutors is that there was a body that was burnt inside one of the units at the Mangaung prison,” Shuping said.
Bester, Magudumana and a Mozambican national, Zakaria Alberto, were arrested in Arusha, Tanzania, on Friday night following a dramatic police swoop in the safari capital.
The police said that a South African delegation, currently in Tanzania, has confirmed the identities of Thabo Bester and Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, who are both in jail.
“They were in a holding cell, and there were security concerns there. So, they have now been moved to the Arusha central prison under heavy guard,” national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said on Tuesday.
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