Dr Nandipha Magudumana told a Bloemfontein court on Tuesday that Thabo Bester forced her into a vehicle in order to flee South Africa.
A TEARY-eyed Dr Nandipha Magudumana has accused Thabo Bester of forcing her into a vehicle and driving out of South Africa.
Magudumana appeared in a Bloemfontein court on Tuesday for day one of her two-day bail application.
The medical doctor and mother of two broke down while her affidavit in support of why she should be granted bail was read out in court.
Magudumana, 34, said that on March 17, Bester forced her into a vehicle and she was taken out of South Africa against her will.
She further stated that Bester threatened her and she was alone, defenceless and helpless when she was taken out of the country.
Magudumana, who is estranged from her husband, said she was scared of Bester’s threats and had no reason to leave South Africa.
According to Magudumana, it was only when she was arrested in Tanzania and a search of the vehicle conducted by the police and officers confiscating travel documents, that she found out that there was a passport belonging to her in the compartment of the vehicle.
As part of her reasons for why she should be granted bail, Magudumana said she was a mother to two children, girls aged 11 and six years old, who were in Grades 5 and 1 and she was their primary caregiver.
She opted to observe her right to remain silent regarding her defence as she feared it could be used against her at a later stage in the ongoing Thabo Bester matter before court.
Magudumana, who grew up in Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal, said that if granted bail, she had no intention of skipping court appearances or fleeing the country.
Magudumana faces charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive, violating a body and fraud and intends to plead not guilty to all charges against her.
The matter will resume on Tuesday afternoon.
