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Arrest of Bester, Magudumana a joint effort, says Cele

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Police Minister Bheki Cele says the arrest in Tanzania of South African fugitive Thabo Bester along with his partner Dr Nandipha Magudumana and Mozambican national, Zacharia Alberto was a collaborative effort between local authorities and interpol.

Cele says the three were nabbed while on their way to another country from Tanzania and were in possession of several passports with different aliases. Bester had been serving sentences for murder and rape in Mangaung in the Free State.

Cele was addressing a media briefing in Pretoria on Saturday.

“It was a combination of Interpol, crime intelligence, and everybody- directed here. But the people were spotted by the people that are working with South Africa, and they were followed as they leave the hotel- and they were heading for the border of another country. They were leaving Dar es Salaam and they were followed until they were found in Arusha. It was also discovered there, that they have several passports with different names.”

A high level government delegation will depart from South Africa on Sunday for Tanzania to bring back the rapist and murderer Bester, his girlfriend, and a Mozambican national to serve their sentences.

Bheki Cele confident in Thabo Bester’s re-arrest in Tanzania:

Meanwhile, Justice Minister, Ronald Lamola has confirmed that officials from G4S are implicated in Bester’s escape in May last year. Last week, parliament kicked off the process of officially summoning G4S before it to explain how Bester escaped from the Mangaung Prison, that the company managed.

Lamola says the company’s alleged involvement is being investigated.

“Yes there are officials from G4S implicated, in terms of the investigative report that we have. Correctional service investigation has been completed and submitted to me. We will give a blow by blow to the portfolio committee, as to when the investigation started, types of officials implicated.”

Thabo Bester I Chad Thomas on violent crimes in South Africa:

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