South Africa’s most wanted fugitive Thabo Bester has been arrested in Arusha, a city in Tanzania, East Africa, according to the country’s security officials.
Government sources said Bester was arrested with two others in Arusha city, more than 4 000km away from home. Arusha is a multicultural city with a majority Tanzanian population, with minorities from European and North American backgrounds.
Police Minister Bheki Cele and Justice Minister Ronald Lamola were expected to provide further details on Bester’s arrest later today in Lyttleton in Pretoria. Both would attend a cash-in-transit crime scene in Lyttleton, where at least two people were allegedly shot dead.
Lamola’s spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told Sunday World that the minister would “either confirm or deny” Bester’s arrest. Government was also expected to formally brief the media at the Tshedimosetso House in Tshwane, just after lunch.
Bester escaped from prison in Mangaung in Bloemfontein in May 2022, where he was serving a life sentence for murder and multiple rape convictions, after staging his death in a fire incident. This was in an alleged collusion with prison officials, who were handsomely rewarded for their role.
According to reports on Saturday afternoon, Bester was arrested by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), an international crime combating agency that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control. Efforts to reach Interpol for comment were unsuccessful.
SAPS crime intelligence sources said on Saturday that police chiefs were in Durban when Bester’s arrest was confirmed. It was reported that Bester’s accomplice and girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, was recently spotted in KwaZulu-Natal.
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