Thabo Bester saga: Court hears of inhumane treatment, items worth millions missing
The case against convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and his eleven co-accused has been adjourned to 11 October for further investigations.
Bester and his lover Dr Nandipha Magudumana appeared together in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Tuesday morning for the first time since their arrest in Tanzania in April.
There was a touching moment as the couple appeared happy to see each other in court.
Bester and Magudumana were seated next to each other and had an opportunity to hold hands.
During their previous court appearance, Bester made a virtual appearance while being held at the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria, while his alleged accomplice Magudumana also appeared virtually from the Kroonstad prison in the Free State, where she is being detained.
Altogether, the accused are facing up to 16 charges related to corruption, fraud, aiding an inmate to escape lawful custody, violation of a corpse, and arson.
Only Bester, Magudumana, and Zimbabwean national Zanda Moyo remain in custody, while the other nine accused are out on bail.
Magudumana's lawyer Machini Motloung told the court that she is still involved in civil litigation and will continue reserving her right to apply for bail.
Motloung further told the court that his client was inhumanly transported from Kroonstad prison to the court.
Motloung claimed that Magudumana was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police van where she was unable to hold on when the van driver applied the brakes.
Bester's lawyer also claimed that his client was also being treated inhumanely at Kgosi Mampuru Prison - spending 23 hours a day handcuffed in his cell.
He further alleged that his client's items were stolen during their arrest in Tanzania.
"The items which are missing include an iPhone 14 pro max valued at R36,000, Samsung S23 valued at R32,000. Samsung Z4 valued at R40,000, an Apod 16 valued at R18,000. A MacBook Air 16 valued at R12,500 and a MacBook Pro 16 valued at R24,600," he told the court.
"The other items include two Rolex watches valued at R2.6 million each, a marriage ring to the value of R350 000, a Burberry cup holder worth R15 000, 500 000 Euros, 1.4 million in Zambian currency, $36 000 and R295 000."
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