Most wanted fugitive Thabo Bester was reportedly arrested in Tanzania, close to a year since he pulled off one of the most brazen prison escapes in history.
UPDATE: During an emergency press briefing held by the police and justice departments, authorities confirmed Bester and Dr Nandipha are, indeed, the two fugitives arrested in Arusha, Tanzania, on Friday evening. Early indications suggest the fugitive couple used several passports to escape into neighbouring regions.
Moreover, authorities believe Bester and Dr Nandipha were attempting to skip to Kenya when they were arrested. A team of government delegates will travel to Tanzania on Sunday to begin the process of deporting the couple back to South Africa.
Thabo Bester arrested in Tanzania? – Here’s what we know
Social media was abuzz with rumblings after images showing a man closely resembling the convicted killer and serial rapist surfaced on the internet.
As reported by The Citizen, sources close to the Tanzanian operation suggest the man held in custody is, in fact, Bester.
Moreover, information trickling through the grapevine suggests Dr Nandipha Magudumana was also apprehended, albeit South African authorities could not explicitly verify the claims.
“The South African police can’t confirm it is them based on the information that they are receiving from Tanzania. However, Tanzanian police are making contact with the South African police,” the source told the cited publication.
Speculation was rife earlier this week about the fugitive couple’s possible cross-border escape when, in an explosive Citizen report, private investigators filmed the deregistered doctor during an interrogation over her bizarre decision to drive an R1.35 million vehicle, which she still owed R700 000, into Zimbabwe, dump it near the border and return to South Africa on foot.
It remains unclear, however, if this was how Bester made it out of South Africa. A police statement is expected soon.
Bester has been on the run since he pulled off a brazen escape from the Mangaung max security prison in May 2022, and police believe he’s received a lot of help from his lover, Dr Nandipha.
It’s believed the couple lived in a Hyde Park mansion until their cover was blown and went on the run.
However, according to Police Minister Bheki Cele, authorities may have lost a nine-month lead on the suspects, but they still managed to close in on the fugitives.
We will find Bester, we are getting good news. I had people yesterday trying to ridicule police when we raided his house. Sometimes, people don’t understand investigations, things, clues that we get there,” he said.
Take a look at the pictures of the man arrested in Tanzania, believed to be Thabo Bester.