The long-running Thabo Bester prison escape case has been pushed into 2027, with the Free State High Court setting a new window for his plea and trial almost five years after the dramatic Mangaung Correctional Centre escape.
Judge Mareena Opperman on Friday postponed the matter to 19 April 2027, with the trial expected to run until 18 June 2027 in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein.
“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,” Opperman said.
The latest postponement follows a series of legal and procedural delays that have kept the highly publicised case from reaching trial.
Bester and Magudumana remain central to case
Bester, a convicted rapist and murderer serving life imprisonment, is facing charges linked to his alleged escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.
His former partner, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, is among the accused.
The pair appeared in court by video link during the latest proceedings. Bester appeared from eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, while Magudumana appeared from Bizzah Makhate Correctional Centre in the Free State. Their co-accused appeared in court in person.
The court had been expected to establish whether outstanding legal issues had been resolved sufficiently for the matter to proceed to trial.
However, those issues remain unresolved.
Bester’s legal team has previously raised concerns about his prison conditions and his access to a laptop to prepare his defence. There have also been disputes and applications relating to the accused’s legal representation and other outstanding matters.
The alleged escape that shocked South Africa
Bester was serving life sentences at the privately operated Mangaung Correctional Centre when a fire broke out in his cell in May 2022.
A charred body was initially believed to be Bester’s and his death was treated as a suicide.
Subsequent investigations, however, established that Bester had not died in the fire.
The body was later identified as that of Katlego Bereng, who had been reported missing. A post-mortem examination found that Bereng had suffered blunt-force trauma to the head and had died before the fire.
The discovery triggered a major investigation into how Bester allegedly managed to escape from a maximum-security prison and how Bereng’s body ended up inside his cell.
Bester and Magudumana were eventually arrested in Tanzania in April 2023, after a nationwide and international manhunt.
Who else is accused?
The case extends beyond Bester and Magudumana.
Among the other accused are Magudumana’s father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, and several former G4S employees and people linked to the prison operation.
The charges against the accused include allegations relating to assisting an inmate to escape, fraud, corruption, money laundering, arson, violating a corpse and defeating the ends of justice.
The prosecution alleges that the escape involved a carefully coordinated scheme in which Bester’s death was faked to allow him to leave prison.
The accused remain entitled to the presumption of innocence until the State proves its case in court.
Magudumana’s legal battles add to delays
Magudumana has also pursued separate legal challenges relating to her arrest and removal from Tanzania.
Her legal challenge has formed part of the wider procedural complications surrounding the case and has contributed to uncertainty over when the main trial could begin.
Her defence, like Bester’s, has continued to contest aspects of the State’s case and the circumstances surrounding her detention and prosecution.
Bester has disputed the escape allegations
Bester has previously challenged the charges relating to his alleged escape.
During proceedings in March 2026, he denied escaping from Mangaung Correctional Centre and argued that he had been lawfully released. His legal team has also challenged aspects of his treatment and detention.
The State, however, maintains that Bester escaped from custody and has pursued the case against him and his co-accused.
Nearly five years of waiting for answers
The latest postponement means the main trial will take place almost five years after the May 2022 prison escape and about four years after Bester was rearrested in Tanzania.
The delays have frustrated efforts to bring the case to trial, while the court continues to deal with outstanding applications, legal representation issues and the substantial volume of evidence.
Judge Opperman has previously warned about the amount of evidence that still needs to be dealt with before the trial can proceed.
The court has now placed a firm trial window on the calendar, beginning on 19 April and running until 18 June 2027.
Opperman also warned accused who are out on bail that failure to appear in court could result in their bail being cancelled. Bester and Magudumana are expected to appear in person for the trial and for certain pre-trial proceedings concerning their respective applications.
For now, the extraordinary case remains in the pre-trial phase, with the central questions surrounding Bester’s alleged escape, the death of Katlego Bereng and the alleged involvement of the accused still to be tested before a court.
The next major milestone is now 19 April 2027, when Bester and his co-accused are scheduled to enter the plea and trial phase in the Free State High Court.
