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ARTICLE AD BOX
- Five people accused of aiding Thabo Bester's escape have appeared in court.
- Bester's lover, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, has provisionally abandoned bail.
- The State will now argue why it is opposing bail.
The bail application of five people accused of aiding in the escape of Facebook rapist Thabo Bester continued after lunch on Thursday, following proceedings that saw Nandipha Magudumana withdraw her bid to be released until next week.
Magudumana's lawyer told the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court she was provisionally withdrawing her bail application in the light of "new information".
The lawyer did not say what the new information was.
Magudumana will appear in court for bail on 16 May, the same day as the appearance of her father, Zolile Sekeleni, and Bester.
According to the affidavits read out in court, accused number-one, former G4S guard Senohe Matsoara, said his Volkswagen T-Roc 2.0 was being paid for in instalments and without a down payment. Matsoara's former colleagues at the Mangaung Correctional Centre blew the whistle on this big purchase of a car worth over R500 000 when he earns around R15 000 a month.
READ | Thabo Bester has no ID but is South African based on criminal record, fingerprints - cops
Matsoara added that he was not employed and did not have the means to flee. Integritron Integrated Solutions (IIS) employee Teboho Lipholo, who operated the CCTV cameras, faces 14 charges for which he intends to plead not guilty.
Lipholo, who showed extreme tension in his jaw muscles, has a previous conviction for stock theft. He said being kept in prison would impede his ability to defend himself. He added that he had developed severe flu because he had not been given enough blankets in prison and that it was impossible for him to get hold of his family.He said he did not have the means to pay bail, but his family could pay a bond of R5 000.
Accused six, G4S guard Motenyani Masukela, faces charges of defeating the ends of justice, fraud and arson.
He has not been dismissed from G4S and intends to plead not guilty.
The magistrate asked Masukela to remove his sunglasses which he had been wearing in the court, because of "the glare of the press cameras".
According to his affidavit, he has "uncontrolled diabetes". He said he was his family's breadwinner and would like to return to work.
He said he could afford R3 000 bail. Accused seven, another former G4S guard, Tieho Makhotsa, told the court he was in a legal dispute with his employer following his dismissal. He said he supported himself and his family through "piece jobs and gambling".
READ | Dr Nandipha's dad, former G4S guard charged with murder linked to Thabo Bester escape
He argued that he could not apply for unemployment insurance fund benefits to support his family without bail.
Lastly, accused eight, Natassja Jansen, said she intended to plead not guilty.
Jansen said she lived with her two children in a shack at the back of a family home. Her only income, R1 500, is from maintenance she receives from the fathers of her children. She also told the court she was appealing against her dismissal from G4S.
Jansen said she needed to be released on bail so she could look for work to support her children. The state was expected to present its arguments opposing the applications of the five accused later in the day.
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