Thabo Bester has fired his legal team and is expected to represent himself when his prison escape trial begins next year.
Bester and his co-accused are scheduled to stand trial in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein from 19 April to 18 June 2027 over the alleged escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.
The trial has been postponed several times since it was initially scheduled to begin in 2025.
Bester is accused of escaping from the correctional facility in May 2022, with former partner Dr Nandipha Magudumana and several others facing charges relating to the alleged escape.
The case has been subject to a number of legal delays, including difficulties experienced by Bester’s previous lawyers in consulting with him while he was detained at eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in Kokstad.
Bester was arrested in Tanzania in April 2023 and returned to South Africa, where he was taken into custody.
His decision to conduct his own defence comes as the long-delayed prison escape matter moves towards its latest scheduled trial date in April 2027.
