No bail for Bester crew
|Published
IT’S A NO: Magistrate has denied accused bail. Picture: Timothy Bernard African News Agency (ANA)
The Bloemfontein Magistrates Court has denied bail for four of the five people accused of helping convicted killer and Facebook rapist Thabo Bester escape custody last year.
Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masukela and Tieho Makhotsa were denied bail by Magistrate Mohlolo Khabisi on Monday.
Khabisi ruled that it was not in the best interests of justice to grant them bail.
However, the fifth accused, Natassja Jansen, was granted bail of R10 000 with conditions.
Her lawyer told the court that she was a single mother and had not been involved in assisting Bester’s escape.
Jansen, who was responsible for granting access to G4S employees, was not aware that Bester had been given a G4S uniform. She had simply done her job, the lawyer said.
Bester’s lover, Nandipha Magudumana has also been implicated but has opted to halt her bail attempt.
Instead, Magudumana has filed an urgent high court application claiming that her arrest in Tanzania and subsequent detention was unlawful.
Her application is expected to be heard at the Bloemfontein High Court on Thursday.
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi last week insisted that Magudumana and Bester were lawfully deported from Tanzania last month. He said authorities in Tanzania handed the fugitives over to Home Affairs officials and not the SAPS.
Meanwhile, Bester has also hinted at possibly challenging his arrest in Tanzania.
body copy_bold: Speaking to the SABC News, Bester’s attorney, Tsireledzo Ndou, said there were merits to his client’s claim.