The couple possessed several passports bearing different names. In a hastily arranged press conference, the Ministers of Justice and Police confirmed on Saturday that Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana were arrested in Tanzania on Friday night, along with a Mozambican national who was assisting them. Police found them in the Arusha region, close to the Kenyan border, in possession of multiple unstamped passports. Police Minister Bheki Cele said Tanzanian police had tracked the fugitives as they left their hotel in a black SUV, believing they were heading toward the Kenyan border.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola stated that Tanzanian authorities are processing the fugitives through their justice system and expressed confidence in receiving full cooperation from Tanzania. He added that Bester and Magudumana are likely to be deported to South Africa, as they were in Tanzania illegally. Delegates from the South African police and the Department of Correctional Services will travel to Tanzania on Sunday.
Bester escaped from Mangaung Correctional Centre on 3 May 2022 after faking his death in a cell fire. The burned corpse found in the cell was collected by Magudumana but later confiscated by police. Magudumana then approached the Pretoria High Court, claiming the body as her own and asserting that she was Bester’s customary‑law wife. Court papers filed by the South African Police Service showed no DNA match between the corpse and Bester’s biological mother, confirming that the body was not Bester’s.
After escaping, Bester and Magudumana lived in a rented mansion in Sandton. Bester used an ID document and driver’s licence under the name “Katlego Nkwana.” Together they operated Arum Properties, scamming several people out of millions of rands for construction projects that were never completed. The property manager of the mansion told GroundUp that Magudumana was behind on rent, and the mansion was vacated days after GroundUp first reported Bester’s escape. Police raided the property on 4 April.
The Citizen published a video this week showing Magudumana being confronted by a private investigator in January. The investigator challenged her over a R1.35‑million Mercedes Benz she allegedly drove across the Zimbabwean border after failing to meet repayment obligations.
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