Celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, accused of aiding convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester’s prison escape, was denied bail in the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court. The matter has been postponed to October 11.
Magistrate Estelle de Lange ruled that Magudumana is a “definite flight risk” and that no bail conditions could mitigate this risk, leading to the bail denial.
The court considered Magudumana’s provision of false information about her address of residence and the fact that she and Bester left the country in a rented vehicle as indicators that they intended to evade capture.
Magudumana’s arguments about suffering financial loss and being separated from her children did not sway the court’s decision.
This marks Magudumana’s third unsuccessful court application since her arrest in Tanzania, where she faces charges including fraud, aiding an escape, and violating dead bodies, alongside Bester and ten other individuals involved in the escape saga. The trial is expected to take place in the Bloemfontein high court with 18 witnesses for the state.
Source: Mail & Guardian
