IF you asked Dr Nandipha Magudumana how she would be spending her 35th birthday, she probably wouldn’t have said chained in a courtroom.
However, that’s exactly how she spent her 35th birthday on Monday, 4 September when she appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court for her bail application. She even spotted a new hairstyle.
Her father, Zolile Sekeleni and her siblings were in court to give her courage. Zolile also faces charges related to his daughter’s case, which include defeating the ends of justice, aiding and abetting a prisoner to escape from lawful custody and fraud.
It’s been a tough few weeks for Nandipha, who is accused of being the mastermind in the escape of her notorious boyfriend, Thabo Bester, from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.
ALSO READ : Bester's bae Dr Nandipha fights for freedom!
She was charged with assisting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody, fraud, and violation of a corpse amongst other charges.
But on 29 August, she revealed that Bester forced her to escape the country in April 2023. This was shortly before they were arrested in Tanzania.
"I was taken out of the country against my will. And it will be in the interest of justice to be released on bail. My co-accused in Thabo Bester's escape has been released on bail and that has never caused any public unrest. I have no record of previous convictions," she said in her affidavit.
Nandipha shares her birthday with global superstar Beyonce and Gauteng Premiere Panyaza Lesufi.
