The Bloemfontein magistrate’s court has charged Nandipha Magudumana’s father Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni and a former G4S employee Senohe Matsoara with murder.
The duo is accused of playing a pivotal role in the escape of murderer and rapist Thabo Bester, when his cell was set alight at the maximum correctional centre managed by private security company G4S in Mangaung in May 2022.
It was alleged at the time that Bester had burnt beyond recognition in his cell.
However, he was later spotted shopping with his partner Magudumana in Sandton, resulting in reports that Bester had escaped from prison and that the person who was burnt in the fire was already dead when the fire broke out.
According to media reports, Sekeleni might have been the mastermind behind Bester’s escape. Sekeleni and his co-accused also face charges of defeating the ends of justice, fraud, and arson.
Their case has been postponed to April 17 for a bail information hearing and a possible bail application.
Speaking to the media about the complexity of the case outside the court, National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson in the Free State, Phaladi Shuping, said there is a possibility that more charges will be added or withdrawn from the case, depending on the investigation.
He said, however, that the state cannot pre-empt the investigation, as the matter is still before the court.
Shuping said the state requested for the postponement to consider the seriousness of the case and to check whether the accused have previous convictions, which would then be a determining factor whether to oppose bail should Sekeleni and Matsoara apply for it.
“We do not want to pre-empt the investigation, but the evidence we have at the moment that is linking the two accused that appeared before the court, indicates to us that there could be more people involved,” said Shuping.
“The request that we made to the court is for the case to be postponed to next week Monday and the main reason is for the obtaining of bail information.
“Once we have that information and have checked whether they do not have pending cases, that will be one of the determining factors.
“We are of the view that that information is going to assist us in making a proper determination as to whether we stand against them being released on bail or not.”
Sekeleni and Matsoara were arrested at the weekend in Port Edward and Bloemfontein, respectively. Their arrests followed Bester and Magudumana’s arrest in Tanzania on Friday.
Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed on Saturday that the pair was nabbed in a joint operation between the police and Interpol. The process for their extradition is yet to begin.
Meanwhile, Sekeleni and Matsoara have been remanded in custody until their next appearance in court.
Also read: Notorious fugitive Thabo Bester arrested in Tanzania
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