Dr Nandipha Magudumana and Thabo Bester are threatening to take legal action ahead of the upcoming release of a documentary on Thabo Bester's escape.
'Tracking Thabo Bester' is expected to premiere on March 15 and features interviews by GroundUp journalists Marecia Damons and Daniel Steyn as well as prisoners and prison warders at the Mangaung Correctional Centre and the family of Katlego Bereng Mpholo, the man whose burnt body was found in Cell 35, the cell Bester occupied whilst in prison.
Both Magudumana and Bester have instructed their legal teams to launch an urgent application with the Free State High Court to stop the docu-series release.
In documents addressed to MultiChoice and Showmax, Magudumana wants a full and complete copy of the series today in order to establish if there are issues that could prejudice her rights.
Meanwhile, Bester stated that he did not grant any rights to produce, distribute or commercially exploit a documentary or film on his life.
If MultiChoice and Showmax fail to meet the 2pm deadline, an urgent application will be filed at the High Court of South Africa.
"Our client has not been interviewed by any person from your company, which fact undermines the principles of fair journalism. In fact, it is not known by our client as who stands to financially benefit from your intended activities. We shall deal with this aspect at a later stage," the documents state.
The larger-than-life story of South Africa’s most famous prison break is produced by local true-crime pioneers IdeaCandy.
Magudumana and Bester were arrested in Tanzania in April last year. They, along with their co-accused are expected back in court for a pre-trail conference in June.
IOL