Thabo Bester and his wife Nandipha Magudumana
The so-called Facebook rapist and convicted murderer Thabo Bester, his girlfriend and a Mozambican citizen have been arrested in Tanzania.
Bheki Cele, Minister of Police, and Ronald Lamola, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, confirmed during a media conference on Saturday that Bester, his girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana and an unidentified Mozambican citizen were arrested on Friday evening.
According to Cele, Bester, Magudumana and the Mozambican citizen were spotted by members of law enforcement agencies when they left a hotel in a black SUV. They were pursued and arrested in the city of Arusha. Interpol and other actors were involved in the arrests.
According to Cele, they apparently intended to leave Tanzania and cross the border into Kenya. Several passports were found in the possession of each of the accused during the arrest. It was confirmed that they entered Tanzania illegally.
According to Masemola, he spoke to his counterpart in Tanzania and the latter confirmed that the country will give its full cooperation to bring Bester and his co-accused back to South Africa so that they can face charges here.
A delegation consisting of members of Cele and Lamola’s departments will leave for Tanzania on Sunday to help facilitate the process.
Bester had been at large since May last year after he faked his death and escaped from the maximum security prison in Bloemfontein.
However, it only came to light last month that it was not Bester who passed away, but that the body of an unknown person was apparently smuggled into the prison and set on fire in Bester’s cell. The police are investigating a case of murder in this connection.
Earlier this week, the Gauteng police raided the mansion in a luxury Johannesburg neighborhood where Bester is believed to have been hiding weeks ago.
Bester apparently went to the four-bedroom house with Magudumana, a medical doctor, before they fled again.
