Johannesburg - After a statement by actress Simphiwe Ngema that she had visited convicted rapist, murderer and prison escapee Thabo Bester in 2018, one startling revelation was that she had gone to visit a man by the name of TK Motsepe and not Bester.
Ngema, in a statement that was widely seen on social media before it was deleted from her accounts, said she went to see Bester because he owed her money.
“He seemed well connected and was able to organise meetings and big events for which I and many other public figures were booked. Till this day, I was never paid for some of the events that I was booked for in the 21st Century,” read Ngema’s statement.
When quizzed about the apparent name flip-flop, Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told The Star that the inmate name of the infamous escapee from the system was Thabo Bester.
He also said that he could not say who visited Bester due to the POPI Act.
“I don’t know about other names or identities. And we cannot reveal people visiting inmates,” said Nxumalo.
Nxumalo said the department had issued a statement about Thabo Bester and how he had escaped.
“Other names or identities, please excuse us. Perhaps investigators will assist in that regard,” he said.
Businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize was another well-known celebrity who was said to have visited him in prison, something she vehemently denied.
According to a report in The Star, the investigating officer revealed that he needed at least a month to two months to finalise the investigation.
The article detailed how the officer testified about the planning and execution of the prison escape.
He revealed how former G4S employee and security supervisor Senohe Motsoara was the mastermind behind Bester’s escape after Motsoara drove the car hired by Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni, from Pretoria to Mangaung on April 28.
Besides this, it was also revealed that Motsoara paid some of the G4S employees money to facilitate Bester’s prison escape. It was revealed that, in total, Motsoara had received at least R150 000 from a person identified as TK. It was also confirmed that this TK is the same TK as Nkwana, Tom Motsepe, or Thabo Bester.
The matter against Bester, Magudumana and her father has been postponed to June 20.
According to an Independent Media report, the latest official to be arrested is Mutenyane Masukela, who allegedly opened the prison gates for Bester.
The Star