State tells court Magudumana will evade trial if granted bail
State prosecutor Sello Matlhoko told the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday that Dr Nandipha Magudumana is likely to attempt to evade trial, should she be granted bail.
The State is opposing Magadumana’s bid to be granted bail.
She is facing various charges, including fraud, violation of the body, and arson, after she allegedly helped convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester escape from a Bloemfontein prison in May 2022.
In July, the High Court dismissed her application for leave to appeal a ruling on her April arrest and deportation from Tanzania.
Matlhoko said Magudumana has everything to lose by staying in South Africa.
"Bail conditions will not prevent the applicant from fleeing the country. She evaded the police for 11 months. She fled the country and did not use her passport when she left the country. She has no respect for the law," said Matlhoko.
Magudumana claims she was taken out of the country against her will following threats made against her by Bester.
She broke down during her bail application.
"I have no previous convictions, and there are no pending criminal cases against me. On the 17th of March 2023, I was in the company of accused number five (Thabo Bester),” she told the court in an affidavit.
“I was instructed and commanded by accused number five to get into a vehicle and leave the premises to a destination unknown to me at the time. I refused and wanted an explanation, but he forced me into a vehicle. I succumbed to the pressure due to the threats he directed to me. I was defenceless, helpless and with no one to report to at that time. I complied with his instructions and was taken out of the country against my will.”
The case will continue on Wednesday.
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