Home Affairs Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi says convicted rapist and murderer; Thabo Bester has been issued with an ID after being unidentified for years.
The Minister was briefing the media on his Department’s progress in dealing with the identity of Bester, following an investigation into the matter and an interview with Bester’s mother.
Home Affairs visited the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria where Bester is held to process the ID.
Motsoaledi elaborates, “The Director General addressed a letter dated 15 May 2023 to Thabo Bester advising him that he has assigned relevant officials to assist him in his application for an ID. Thabo Bester cooperated with the officials, who also required his mother to sign the necessary application forms and she did sign. As a result Bester was issued with an ID card on the 17th of May 2023.”
Meanwhile, Motsoaledi has apologised to celebrity doctor, Dr Mmereka Ntshani, also known as Dr Pashy for previous statements he made about her, related to the Thabo Bester escape.
Magudumana and Bester were arrested in Tanzania in April while on the run following Bester’s escape from prison last year. At the time, Magudumana was found in possession of two passports belonging to Ntshani, which Ntshani said they had been stolen.
However, Motsoaledi previously denied that Magudumana stole Ntshani’s identity and says that Ntshani gave conflicting versions of how she lost her passport in 2019. He has corrected these statements.
He explains, “I pointed out that Dr Ntshani deposed an affidavit with SAPS in 2019 and declared that her passport was stolen. This passport was found in Tanzania on Magunumana. We want to make corrections today. Dr Ntshani did not depose an affidavit when she applied for a passport in 2019 and there are no conflicting versions I retract the statement I made on that day and extend my apology to her.”
