Dr Nandipha Magudumana and Thabo Bester are back in court on Wednesday Picture: Screenshot
Thabo Bester, Nandipha Magudumana and seven of their co-accused are expected back in the Free State High Court on Wednesday morning for pretrial conference.
The group; Bester, Magudumana, Zolile Sekeleni, Xando Moyo, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masukela, Teiho Makhotsa, Senohe Matsoara and James Lipholo appeared in court in February where the matter was postponed over changes to legal representation.
Bester faces charges of escaping from prison, while the co-accused are charged with defeating the ends of justice and helping an inmate escape custody.
In February's appearance, Bester appointed a new legal representative after his previous team withdrew their services. He has since appointed advocate Mohamed Seedat.
Background
Bester was arrested, charged and sentenced for offering young, aspiring models fake modelling gigs using Facebook. Bester pleaded guilty to two rape charges and one murder charge, that of Nomfundo Tyhulu.
After he was sentenced to life imprisonment, he faked his death and fled to Tanzania with Magudumana, allegedly with the help of the co-accused.
A year before his arrest, the country's prison officials released a statement saying Bester died in his prison cell at the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein, run by G4S Security.
An in-depth investigation by GroundUp revealed that Bester had been living the high life in Gauteng's affluent Sandton suburb.
Once official investigations got under way, Bester and Magudumana were brought back to SA and investigations got under way.
Read more here.
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