Police have confirmed the arrest of Dr. Nandipha Magudumana’s father and a former prison warden in connection with the escape of convicted rapist Thabo Bester from the Mangaung Correctional Centre [1]. Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, a socialite doctor, is the girlfriend of escaped convict Thabo Bester [2].
Both Dr. Nandipha Magudumana’s father and Thabo Bester were arrested in Tanzania on April 8, 2023 [3]. Dr. Nandipha is currently in hiding, and her father has confirmed that he will not reveal her whereabouts [4]. He has expressed concerns for his daughter’s safety and does not trust anyone with her location [6].
The charges faced by Dr. Nandipha Magudumana’s father and the former prison warden have not yet been made clear, and there is no information on when they will appear in court [7]. Meanwhile, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has attributed delays in the investigation into Thabo Bester’s escape to a backlog in receiving DNA results and a postmortem report [10].
As the case unfolds, the arrests of Dr. Nandipha Magudumana’s father and the former prison warden raise more questions about the circumstances surrounding Thabo Bester’s escape and the involvement of other parties.