Magudumana case proves South African justice system is dysfunctional

17 April 2023

ActionSA welcomes the ruling of the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court that Dr Nandipha Magudumana and her co-accused, former G4S employee, Senohe Matsoara, and Teboho Lipholo be remanded in custody until their appearance for a bail hearing on 3 and 4 May 2023.

Accused number 2, Mr Zolile Sekeleni, Magudumana’s father’s charges of murder and arson have been dropped as the State has indicated that investigations have revealed that there is no evidence linking him to the charges. Sekeleni was granted R10 000 bail and is expected to appear in court on the 16th of May 2023.

This case highlights South Africa’s dysfunctional justice system where convicted criminals are able to walk freely for months without the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) intervention.

To make matters worse SAPS also failed to inform the victims of Magudumana’s boyfriend, Thabo Bester, who is a convicted murderer and rapist, that he is alive and out in the streets. The inaction of the SAPS and negligence of Mangaung Prison management goes to show how dysfunctional and corrupt our law enforcement has become.

It is not lost on us that both Magudumana and Bester were able to fly out of South Africa to Tanzania. It is obvious that the pair had help from various powerful sources.

ActionSA will be paying close attention to developments in this case to monitor whether those implicated in this criminality face the full might of the law.

Issued by Patricia Kopane, ActionSA Free State Provincial, 17 April 2023