Bester, Magudumana and co-accused due back in court
Convicted killer and rapist, Thabo Bester and his co-accused are expected to return to the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein today for their pre-trial hearing.
Nine people, including Bester's girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana and her father face various charges related to the convicted murderers' escape from prison.
Bester escaped in a dramatic way from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.
Katlego Bereng's body was allegedly used as a decoy after it was snuck into the privately run facility and then later set alight in Bester's cell.
It was made to look as if Bester died in the fire.
During their last court appearance, the pre-trial hearing was postponed after Bester had changed his legal team.
This follows the withdrawal of his previous lawyers from the case.
Bester appointed advocate Mohamed Seedat as his new legal representative.
The State, which was ready to proceed, asked that the defence disclose whether they had been paid by Bester in order to establish their commitment to the case.
Since his re-capture in Tanzania in April 2023, Bester has had at least three legal representatives, and he planned to secure prominent advocates Dali Mpofu and Zandile Mshololo at some point.
The State projects that Bester's prison escape trial would last for at least six months because almost all the State's evidence was in dispute.
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