The father of Dr Nandipha Magudumana, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, and former G4S prison warder Senohe Matsoara have been charged with murder for their alleged roles in the escape of “Facebook rapist” and murderer Thabo Bester.

This emerged in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court on Tuesday where the pair appeared briefly before their matter was postponed to April 17 for further investigations and a possible bail application.

They are also accused of arson, fraud and defeating the ends of justice.

According to the charge sheet, the state alleges that on or around March 3 2022 the pair killed an unknown man in or around Bloemfontein.

Sekeleni, who wore a navy blue top with a sling bag over his shoulder, seemed stunned by the media presence in the courtroom and initially covered his face in a bid to hide from the cameras. He later revealed his face when speaking to a family member and his lawyer.

Matsoara stared straight at the cameras. The only time he showed emotion was when he interacted with a woman member of the public who had her face covered.

Magistrate Motlholo Khabi ordered that Sekeleni be kept in custody in Brandfort while Matsoara will be held at a police station.

Magudumana’s father, 65, was arrested at the weekend at his Port Edward home while the former prison warder, 39, was arrested in Bloemfontein by a multidisciplinary team investigating Bester’s escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre.

Bester and his lover, Magudumana, were arrested in Tanzania on Friday, 10km from the Kenyan border. The convicted rapist and murderer was believed to have died during a fire in his cell. However, an autopsy revealed the person found in the cell died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.

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