Secular doctor faces jail over alleged involvement in prison escape of South African killer

Nandifa Magudumana has been hailed in South Africa as an inspirational role model for women's empowerment. for a week, wearing a gaudy anorak and a surgical face mask, Dr. Nandifa Magudumana looked like a sad, despondent figure far removed from her glamorous media image.

Once hailed as a successful entrepreneur and inspirational model for shoulder to shoulder with South African celebrities and socialites, the 33-year-old mother of two faces a lengthy prison sentence after being accused of participating in a country-wide prison break.

Dr. Magudumana was arrested in Tanzania earlier this month along with Thabo Bester, a convicted murderer who allegedly faked his death in a prison cell fire during a daring prison break.

Escape Disclosure Bester and his life on led to accusations of official complicity, incompetence and a cover-up. He is said to have left the charred body of an unknown man in his cell to cover his tracks, and the escape was publicly acknowledged by officials almost a year later. jpg» />Thabo Bester escaped from prison and left a charred corpse in his cell. than how the glamorous celebrity doctor ended up by his side and is now accused of facilitating his escape.

Dr. Magudumana is due to appear in court on Monday, where prosecutors said she faces charges of aiding and abetting escape, as well as murder, desecration of organs, as well as fraud.

Her father Zolila Sekeleni and Senoha Macoara, a former G4S prison officer, have already been charged with murder and aiding the escape. Dr. Magudumana described herself as a girl from a small town on the southern coast of South Africa.

She was born in Bizan, a village in the Eastern Cape province, but her family moved to KwaZulu-Natal when she was young. Interested in health issues, she started working part-time in a pharmacy when she was 15.

In 2013, she married Mhuseli Maguduman, a pediatrician from Benoni, near the east of Johannesburg.

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The couple had two daughters. In the months following Bester's escape, he and Dr. Magudumana, whom police identified as his «accomplice», were said to have lived in a mansion in an affluent suburb of Johannesburg, drove luxury cars and reportedly ran a company that allegedly scammed hundreds of businesses. thousands of dollars.

Dr. Magudumana appeared in court on Thursday and her case was adjourned. It should reappear on Monday.