Thabo Bester’s lawyer, advocate Kabelo Matee, has accused Home Affairs officials of robbing his client at Lanseria Airport. Kabelo Matee says that a number of luxury items, including phones, a wedding ring, R290,000, and money in USD, were stolen from Bester when he was deported from Tanzania.
According to the lawyer, Bester was strip-searched and his belongings were confiscated by Home Affairs officials. However, when Bester arrived in South Africa, he discovered that many of his belongings were missing. Levitt says that he has filed a complaint with the police and is demanding that the stolen items be returned.
The allegations of robbery come at a time when Home Affairs is already under scrutiny for its handling of Bester’s case. Bester was initially reported to have died in a fire at Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2023. However, it later emerged that Bester had escaped from prison and was on the run. He was eventually arrested in Tanzania in September 2023.
Meanwhile, Machini Motloung, the lawyer for Bester’s co-accused, Dr Magudumana, says that she is still involved in civil litigation and will continue reserving her right to apply for bail for Magudumana. Nandipha is also facing charges as an accomplice to the rape and murder committed by Thabo Bester. Motloung says that she is waiting for the outcome of the civil litigation before making a decision on whether to apply for bail for Magudumana. She says that she is confident That Dr Magudumana will be found not guilty of the charges against her.