Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, an aesthetics practitioner, spent her birthday in court, in chains, as her bail application continued at the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Monday, 04 September.
Bail Application Denied
On 30 August, the doctor’s bail application was denied as the State believed that Magudumana would evade justice if she was released. Magudumana is accused of being an accomplice to convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester. She told the court that she could afford to pay R10 000 bail and claimed that she was held against her will by the fugitive.
Bester’s Escape
Bester escaped from the privately owned Mangaung Correctional Center in May 2022 and was later spotted shopping in Sandton City along with Magudumana.
A Loving Mother and Wife?
While Magudumana’s legal team portrayed her as a loving mother and wife with a reputable career that she “desperately wants to get back to,” the State argues that she abandoned her children and eloped with another man.
Facing Charges
Magudumana is facing a slew of charges, including fraud, violating a body, corruption, defeating the ends of justice, harboring and concealing an escaped prisoner, among others. She looked solemnly on as the State prosecutor defended the decision to deny her bail.
The Defense’s Argument
Magudumana’s attorney, Machini Motloung, told the court that the State had failed to provide sufficient reasons that she is a flight risk and should therefore not be granted bail. Motloung argues that Magudumana was “forced” into the vehicle by Bester when they fled the country to Tanzania, claiming that the convicted felon had kidnapped her. This is the same man that Magudumana had held hands with when they were reunited in court on 08 August.