THE murder charge in the infamous Thabo Bester prison escape saga has been dropped.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed this when Dr Nandipha Magudumana and her co-accused, Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buty Masemola, Tieho Makhotsa and Nastassja Jansen, made their court appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court for a bail application on Wednesday, 3 May.
Initially, all suspects faced a murder charge and a string of other charges.
This comes after the burnt body of Katlego Mpholo was found in Bester’s prison cell.
Mpholo’s body was used as a decoy in Bester’s escape from prison in May 2022, where he was serving a life sentence.
The post mortem results revealed that Mpholo did not die of smoke inhalation.
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Bester and Magudumana were arrested by the Tanzanian police last month after being on the run from Mzansi police.
G4S security, which oversaw the Mangaung Prison at the time of the escape, dismissed three employees and suspended seven others following their internal investigations.
Eight people have since been arrested, and Police Minister Bheki Cele has not ruled out the possibility of more people being arrested related to the Bester matter.
All the accused face charges of violation of corpse, fraud, corruption, defeating the ends of justice and aiding a prisoner to escape from lawful custody.
Magudumana’s father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, is out on R10 000 bail.
Sekeleni will share the dock with Bester on 16 May in the same court.
Dr Nandipha and the five others will return to court on 11 and 12 May for their bail application.
