Fugitives Thabo Bester and his aesthetic doctor girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana have landed on home soil after successful repatriation from Tanzania.
Their charter plane landed at Lanseria International Airport in the early hours of Thursday morning, led by a high-level delegation from the Department of Home Affairs.
The Ministers of Justice and Correctional Services and Police Ronald Lamola and Bheki Cele broke the news to the nation in a media briefing in Cape Town, this morning.
The Minister confirmed that Bester has been readmitted into the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility in Pretoria, while Magudumana is under arrest, pending her first court appearance today.
The Department of Correctional Services said it will ensure that Bester-- dubbed the “Facebook rapist” for luring women on social media with promises of modelling contracts, but instead robbing and raping them -- does not harm himself or is harmed by others.
The department said it will place the convicted murderer and rapist under 24-hour surveillance. In addition, Bester will have contact with “highly trained” correctional services officials to ensure there is no security breach.
“We are grateful to all the role players seized with this matter thus far. This includes State agencies and members of the public who have shared information that has assisted in the detention of the two fugitives, following an extensive manhunt,” Lamola told the nation.
The Minister thanked the Tanzanian government for its “unequivocal cooperation in the matter that has gripped the country”.
“We will endeavour to emulate this level of cooperation with other countries in areas of mutual legal assistance and related matters,” Lamola said.
So far, three more people have been arrested in connection with Bester's escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre prison on 3 May, 2022.
The team investigating the escape at the weekend arrested a former G4S prison warder Senohe Matsoara and Magudumana’s father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni.
The duo appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates' Court on Tuesday for allegedly aiding the audacious escape of Bester.They are also facing charges of murder, linking them to the body that was found inside a cell at the Mangaung Correctional Centre.
Meanwhile, police on Wednesday announced that they seized a white Porsche believed to belong to Magudumana.
The driver, a 28-year-old male is currently in custody, while another suspect has been arrested in Bloemfontein, who has been identified as an employee contracted to a company that installs and maintains cameras at the Mangaung Correctional Centre. – SAnews.gov.za
