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Thabo Bester fires legal team, opts to represent himself in prison escape trial
Thabo Bester has dismissed his legal representatives and is expected to defend himself when his long-delayed prison escape trial finally gets under way in the Free State High Court next year.
The development marks another dramatic turn in a case that has been repeatedly delayed by legal challenges, prison conditions and difficulties between Bester and his legal representatives.
Bester has chosen to represent himself when the trial starts in April 2027.
Trial now scheduled for April 2027
The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein has scheduled Bester’s plea and trial proceedings for 19 April to 18 June 2027.
Judge Mareena Opperman confirmed the dates during the court’s latest case-management proceedings in August, after the matter had been postponed several times.
“The matter is then so postponed for plea and trial to 19 April 2027, up until 18 June 2027, again here in Bloemfontein in the Free State division of the High Court,” Judge Opperman said.
The trial relates to Bester’s dramatic escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.
Bester was serving a sentence for rape and murder when he was reported to have died after a fire in his prison cell. Investigators later established that the body found in the cell was not Bester’s and that he had escaped.
He was eventually located in Tanzania in April 2023 alongside his then-partner, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana.
Why the trial has taken so long
The prison escape matter has been subject to a series of delays.
Bester and Magudumana, together with their co-accused, face charges arising from the alleged escape and the events surrounding it. These include assisting an inmate to escape, fraud, corruption, money laundering, arson, violating a corpse and defeating the ends of justice.
The prosecution alleges that Bester’s escape was carefully orchestrated and involved assistance from others, including people connected to the Mangaung Correctional Centre.
The accused have not yet had their full trial on these allegations, and the charges remain allegations until determined by the court.
Legal representation has been a recurring issue
Bester’s latest decision is not the first time his relationship with his legal representatives has broken down.
In September 2025, Advocate Lerato Moela withdrew from representing him during a pre-trial hearing. Advocate MoAfrika Wa Maila subsequently came on record as Bester’s new lawyer.
At the time, reports indicated that Bester had parted ways with several legal teams since his re-arrest in 2023.
Wa Maila told the court that lawyers could not simply remain on the matter when their client terminated their mandate.
“We don’t just withdraw, my lady; we get terminated, and we can’t force ourselves to be in court when we are terminated,” Wa Maila told Judge Lani Opperman in September 2025.
The latest decision therefore adds another chapter to a pattern of changes in Bester’s legal representation.
Prison conditions became central to the defence
The question of Bester’s access to his lawyers became particularly contentious after he was transferred to eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Facility in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal.
His legal team argued that the conditions at the facility were making it difficult to consult with him and prepare for trial.
During a June 2026 pre-trial hearing, Wa Maila told the Free State High Court that Bester had allegedly been unable to properly consult with his legal team after the transfer and that his lawyers had not received the case docket.
Judge Opperman expressed concern over the repeated explanation.
“I cannot accept that a prison or a correctional centre obstructs an accused from consulting with his legal representative,” she said.
The judge added that she had never experienced such an issue in a trial and said the matter needed to be resolved rather than repeatedly raised at case-management hearings.
Bester subsequently pursued legal action concerning his prison conditions and his transfer to eBongweni.
His lawyers argued that the transfer was affecting his ability to prepare for the main escape trial.
Bester previously considered representing himself
The possibility of Bester conducting his own defence had already emerged during the dispute over his prison conditions.
In June, reports indicated that he was considering self-representation because of the difficulties his legal team said it was experiencing in consulting with him at eBongweni.
That possibility has now become a reality, with Bester expected to appear in court without lawyers when the main trial begins.
Self-representation would mean that Bester would be responsible for presenting his own defence, questioning witnesses and dealing with legal arguments during the proceedings, subject to the court’s rules and directions.
A case that has attracted intense public attention
Bester’s escape became one of South Africa’s most closely followed criminal cases after it emerged that the man authorities initially believed had died in a prison fire was alive.
The escape also drew scrutiny to the Mangaung Correctional Centre, its security arrangements and the conduct of officials and other people allegedly involved.
Bester, Magudumana and the other accused have faced a lengthy series of court appearances since their arrests and extradition-related proceedings.
Magudumana has separately challenged aspects of her arrest and removal from Tanzania, adding another layer of litigation to the broader case.
The main prison escape trial is now expected to begin almost five years after Bester disappeared from Mangaung Correctional Centre.
For the prosecution, the upcoming proceedings will be an opportunity to present its case about how the escape was allegedly planned and executed. For Bester, it will be the opportunity to challenge those allegations and present his own defence.
His decision to dismiss his lawyers means that, unless circumstances change before April, one of South Africa’s most closely watched criminal trials will see Bester facing the court without legal representation.
Economy
The Scorpion Kings’ burgers are all sold out, but the Scorpion Kings Live are back tonight on SABC 1
Before DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small were filling FNB Stadium with Amapiano, there was the hustle – and for Maphorisa, part of that hustle involved food.
Long before the Scorpion Kings name became synonymous with some of South Africa’s biggest musical moments, Maphorisa was finding different ways to make money while pursuing his music career.
“I used to deejay on weekends and I opened a tuck-shop at home just to have a cash flow and at school I used to sell sweets and lollipops,” Maphorisa said.
He explained that the money helped him save for his first car and travel between Pretoria and Johannesburg while working towards his music career.
So, years later, seeing the producer put his name to a burger collaboration feels like a rather delicious full-circle moment.
The Scorpion Kings – Maphorisa and Kabza De Small – teamed up with RocoMamas in September for the limited-edition King’s Feast, a menu inspired by their personalities, their music and plenty of South African flavour.
The collaboration ran until 30 September, meaning the burgers have now officially left the menu – but having tasted them, there is plenty to talk about.
Madumane Double – big, saucy and properly Mzansi
The DJ Maphorisa-inspired Madumane Double did not arrive quietly.
The burger featured a 200g double beef smash, chakalaka, chorizo and cheese, all packed into a brioche bun. RocoMamas positioned it as the “main drop” of the collaboration.
The first bite was very much about the beef, but then the chakalaka came through with that familiar South African kick.
Spicy, savoury and gloriously messy, it was the sort of burger that requires you to abandon any plans of eating neatly.
And there was something particularly kasi about that combination.
Chakalaka was not there as a gimmick. It gave the burger a distinctly South African personality, taking the familiar smashburger format and throwing in a flavour many Mzansi households know very well.
RocoMamas described the collaboration as burgers built by the two artists “the way they build a track – layer on layer until it hits.”
That description actually makes sense.
Papta Sting brings the heat
Then came Kabza De Small’s Papta Sting – and this one was for the spice chaser.
The burger combined southern-fried chicken with atchar and jalapeños on a brioche bun. RocoMamas summed it up neatly: “Sweet on the way in, sting on the way out.”
And that is pretty much the assignment.
The chicken brings the crunch, the atchar delivers that sweet-sour South African flavour, and then the jalapeño arrives with a little extra attitude.
It is the kind of burger that makes you pause after the first bite and ask yourself whether you really want another one.
Naturally, you do.
Kabza’s association with the burger also made sense because the collaboration was built around flavours that feel familiar to South African palates rather than trying too hard to reinvent the wheel.
It tasted like the kasi – with a RocoMamas twist
The King’s Feast was at its most interesting when it leaned into flavours that South Africans already know.
Chakalaka. Atchar. Pap balls. Big portions. Messy eating. Food made for sharing.
RocoMamas itself described the campaign as being inspired by the “grootmans of the yanos”, while its promotional material leaned heavily into the idea of bringing South African flavour to the menu.
That made the collaboration feel like more than simply putting two famous names on burgers.
Amapiano has always been closely connected to place, community, language, fashion, dance and everyday South African life. The King’s Feast borrowed from that same cultural vocabulary and put it on a plate.
And yes, chakalaka on a burger works.
There, we said it.
The timing was perfect
The RocoMamas collaboration formed part of the build-up to Scorpion Kings Live at FNB Stadium on 19 September.
RocoMamas was an official activation partner for the massive concert, alongside brands including SABC1, which was the official broadcast partner.
The King’s Feast was available throughout September before ending on 30 September.
So if you were planning to rush to RocoMamas today for a Madumane Double or Papta Sting, unfortunately, you have missed the boat – or in this case, the burger.
But there is another Scorpion Kings moment waiting tonight.
From the burger to the big screen
Scorpion Kings Live is making its television debut on SABC1 today, Saturday, 3 October, at 20:00.
The concert, which was staged at FNB Stadium on 19 September, will be broadcast for the first time on television, with a simultaneous broadcast on SABC Plus. SABC1 confirmed the broadcast as part of its partnership with the event.
For viewers who were not inside FNB Stadium, tonight is the chance to experience the scale of the show from home.
SABC Video Entertainment Marketing Manager Dichaba Phalatse described the concert as “more than a concert” and “a defining South African cultural moment”, saying SABC1 wanted to bring the energy of FNB Stadium to audiences across the country.
The Scorpion Kings themselves said: “Scorpion Kings Live was too special to be experienced for one night only.”
They added: “Now, for the first time, people across South Africa can relive that experience from wherever they are.”
And that is where the RocoMamas collaboration comes full circle.
The burgers may have disappeared from the menu, but the music is still very much on.
So, what was the foodie verdict?
The Madumane Double was the heavyweight – beefy, saucy, cheesy and carrying enough chakalaka to remind you that this was never meant to be just another burger.
The Papta Sting was the cheekier one – crispy chicken, atchar and jalapeño bringing the sweet-and-sting combination promised in the name.
Neither needed to pretend to be fine dining.
They were burgers.
Big, messy, youthful burgers with a distinctly South African accent.
And perhaps that was the point.
Maphorisa went from selling sweets and running a tuck shop to becoming one of the biggest names in Amapiano. Now his name has been attached to a burger loaded with chakalaka.
Not a bad journey.
The King’s Feast may have left RocoMamas on 30 September, but the Scorpion Kings are back on screen tonight.
So get your snacks sorted, turn up the volume and settle in for FNB Stadium from your sofa.
Just don’t blame us if watching Kabza and Maphorisa perform makes you hungry.
That part is on you.
