SA Govt Chartered Elon Musk’s R1,4 Private Jet To Bring Thabo Bester, Dr Nandipha Home
Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that more than R1 million was spent on bringing escaped serial rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and his accomplice and lover, disgraced celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, back to South Africa.
BESTER AND Dr NANDIPHA DEPORTED FROM TANZANIA
Bester faked his death and escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022. According to reports, he had been lying low in the country with Magudumana until it became apparent that he was not dead.
After a manhunt, the wanted suspects were nabbed in Arusha, Tanzania. The duo returned to South Africa on a luxury jet – a Dassault Falcon 900B which is reportedly owned by Twitter, Space X and Tesla Boss Elon Musk– on Thursday, 13 April, after a “high-level delegation” of government officials went to Tanzania to negotiate the deportation.
According to NowinSA, Dassault Falcon 900B is the first private jet owned by Elon Musk. It was valued at $26 million, worth over 4 Billion in South African rands today. Elon’s jet fleet includes Gulfstream G650ER, Gulfstream G550s.
Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Home Affairs Portfolio Com to charter a flight (Dassault Falcon 900B, owned by Elon) to bring back Thabo Bester & Nandipha Magudumana it cost R1.4 million in total. They were 'forced to' .. & this was rhe cheapest option as they don't own a plane. pic.twitter.com/BU3oLMhqcY
— NOWinSA (@NowInSA) April 18, 2023
Bester and Magudumana have both appeared in court in connection with the escape and are currently in custody.
MOTSOALEDI DEFENDS THE USE OF A CHARTERED FLIGHT, SAYING IT WAS THE ‘CHEAPEST OPTION’
In a briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday, 18 April, Motsoaledi rehashed the briefing he gave the public last week and clarified some additional points that have arisen since then, including the way the fugitives were brought back to South Africa.
According to Motsoaledi, R1.4 million was spent on the chartered flight to and from Tanzania. He said it was the cheapest option after looking at the logistical requirements.
“We decided to use the method we use when we deport all our people from Lindela to other countries.
“Members of the committee know from Lindela [Repatriation Centre], we hire buses for neighbouring countries but for faraway countries who are forced to charter a flight. And we have got a database in treasury which is already prequalified.”
Home Affairs chartered a plane from one of the companies in the database. They needed an aircraft that could carry 14 people and were looking for a company that would be able to secure “landing rights and all the documentation on their own” without help from the State within 24 hours.
The cheapest option was R1.4 million. “It was the cheapest of them all, and we opted for that,” said the Minister.
“We never asked anybody that we want a luxury flight, as everybody saying, it is the cheapest flight we could get as one of those who responded to our request…” said Motsoaledi.
Motsoaledi explained that chartering a flight was the only option for his department because it does not own aircraft, and the Tanzanian authorities refused to release Bester and Magudumana to anyone but Immigration Officials for fear of being accused of rendition.
Other means of travel – such as commercial flights and travelling by minibus taxis in Tanzania – would have taken too long.
