A pre-trial hearing in the case involving convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester is expected to take place at the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein on Friday.
The court is expected to determine whether all outstanding legal issues have been resolved and whether the matter is ready to proceed to trial.
Bester and his co-accused, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, who is accused of helping him escape from prison, last appeared before the court virtually in June.
Bester is currently being held at the eBongweni Super Maximum Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.
He escaped from Mangaung Correctional Centre, which was privately managed by security company G4S, in May 2022.
Bester's legal team has raised concerns about difficulties consulting with their client since he was transferred to eBongweni in January.
His lawyers told the court that they have been unable to consult with Bester and that this is affecting their preparations for the upcoming trial.
They also claimed that attempts to obtain assistance from the Department of Correctional Services had not yielded results.
Bester's lawyer, Moafrika Wa Maila, said the lack of consultation had placed strain on the attorney-client relationship and could potentially result in the termination of his legal representation.
"We are not ready to proceed unless our matter will be addressed," Wa Maila told the court.
He also raised concerns about outstanding access to the case docket and said the legal team had not yet received instructions in that regard.
Bester has several other interlocutory applications before the court, including requests to have his bank account unfrozen, gain access to a laptop and receive less restrictive prison conditions.
The prosecution has undertaken to engage the Department of Correctional Services to ensure that Bester is given an opportunity to consult with his legal representatives.
State prosecutor Advocate Dansi Mpemvane said he was willing to assist with arrangements for proper consultations between Bester and his legal team.
Meanwhile, Magudumana's legal team has argued that it would be premature to proceed with the trial before the Constitutional Court delivers judgment in her separate matter.
Magudumana's appeal against her extradition from Tanzania was heard by the Constitutional Court in May. She is seeking a declaration that her arrest in Tanzania was unlawful.
Despite this, her lawyer told the High Court that they were ready to proceed with the trial should the court decide to move forward.
During the previous sitting, the judge issued a stern warning about delays and stressed that the matter should proceed to trial.
Alleged prison escape
Bester is accused of staging his death in cell 35 at the G4S-managed prison in 2022 as part of an elaborate escape plan.
Investigators allege that his co-accused, including former G4S employees and Magudumana's father, Zolile Sekeleni, helped facilitate the plan.
It is alleged that the body of Katlego Bereng was taken into the prison and set alight to create the impression that Bester had died in his cell.
Bester and Magudumana were arrested in Tanzania in 2023 and subsequently extradited to South Africa.
They are standing trial alongside former G4S employees Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Tieho Makhotsa and Joel Makhetha, as well as Magudumana's driver, Zimbabwean national Zanda Moyo.
The trial has been provisionally scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.