“I’m Not A Legal Tourist”: Thabo Bester’s Dramatic Court Rant Falls Flat

Convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester has lost his urgent court bid to be transferred back to Pretoria after arguing that his move to KwaZulu-Natal was undermining his trial preparations.

The legal showdown played out in the Gauteng High Court on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, where Bester challenged the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) over his relocation to eBongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad.

Thabo Bester “I’m Not a Legal Tourist”

Bester’s lawyer, Benjamin Moafrika Wa Maila, argued that the transfer from Kgosi Mampuru C-Max to eBongweni Correctional Centre had made consultations significantly harder.

He took issue with claims that travel to Kokstad should not be a problem.

“When the respondent replies, he takes my Facebook page and says counsel of the applicant travels a lot, why can’t he travel there as if every trip I take is for fun.

“I’m not a legal tourist. I don’t travel the country for fun, I travel to do the work,” Wa Maila told the court.

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The lawyer argued that Bester’s constitutional rights — including access to legal representation and a fair trial — were being infringed.

He said consultations at Kgosi Mampuru were already limited, with lawyers forced to communicate through glass partitions and without laptops. The transfer, he claimed, had made matters worse and added unexpected financial strain.

“Who will bear the costs of such consultation?” he asked, explaining that the legal team would need to either drive from Pretoria to Kokstad or fly to Durban and hire vehicles.

DCS Defends the Move

Advocate Lebogang Madiba, representing the DCS, pushed back strongly.

He argued that Section 36 of the Constitution allows certain rights to be limited by law.

“It is clear that the rights can be limited,” he told the court, rejecting claims that Bester’s rights had been violated.

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Madiba dismissed concerns over travel expenses, stating: “In fact, Mr Bester does not say that he is not prepared to pay his attorney.

“That submission is without merit. It is without substance, and it must be rejected for what it is.”

The department has not publicly detailed the specific security and risk assessment that led to the transfer, but Bester previously escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in 2022 before being apprehended in Tanzania in 2023.

Judge: No Urgency, No Merit

Judge John Holland-Muter ultimately dismissed Bester’s urgent application.

“There’s nothing untoward about his transfer by correctional services,” he ruled.

He added that Bester’s legal team could consult with him virtually if they did not wish to travel to Kokstad and found no evidence that his right to legal representation had been infringed.

“I don’t see any urgency of the matter, but I also see no merits why he should be transferred back,” the judge said.

Bester, along with his former partner Nandipha Magudumana and other co-accused, is due to appear in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein on 18 March for a pre-trial hearing.

The case relates to his dramatic 2022 prison escape and is scheduled to run from 20 July to 18 September 2026.

With legal battles mounting, Tuesday’s ruling marks another setback for Bester as he prepares to stand trial once again.