A Zimbabwean, Xanda Moyo, appeared in court Tuesday in Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Courts facing charges of violating a corpse, fraud and harboring an escaped offender, Thabo Bester.
According to The Mail and Guardian, Moyo, who was not represented and asked the court to grant him permission to look for an attorney, allegedly helped Bester, a convicted rapist and murderer to escape from prison.
The newspaper reports that Moyo told the court that he speaks Northern Ndebele and therefore proceedings in court can be translated into Zulu.
Moyo, who was arrested Sunday in Johannesburg, and appeared before magistrate Mohlolo Khabisi is the ninth person to appear in court in connection with Bester’s escape from Mangaung Maximum Security Prison where he feigned death and fled to Tanzania in May last year.
A corpse was found in his prison cell resulting in authorities believing that he was dead.
He was arrested in Tanzania with his girlfriend, Nandipha Magudumana.
The Mail and Guardina reports that she faces multiple charges of fraud and corruption, as well as violating a corpse, harboring and concealing an escaped offender and defeating the course of justice.