CHARLES MOLELE
HOME Affairs Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, informed Parliament that his department chartered a flight to retrieve fugitives Thabo Bester and Dr. Magudumana from Tanzania because Tanzanian authorities refused to hand them over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) over concerns about violating international rendition laws.
Motsoaledi was briefing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday and denied suggestions that the aircraft involved in the expatriation of Bester and Magudumana was hired by the police.
He explained that rendition refers to the transfer of individuals from one country to another without a legal process or extradition proceedings, and the Tanzanian authorities did not want to be accused of rendition.
Motsoaledi said his department agreed to use a charter flight in order to prevent the illegal transfer of the two suspects to South Africa, citing a past incident in which Zimbabwean citizens were illegally transferred to their country’s police in 2010.
Some of the suspects were allegedly killed by the Zimbabwean police shortly after their transfer to their country.
The Tanzanian authorities opted for deportation rather than extradition, rendition or any other system, and only allowed the South African immigration officials to take custody of the fugitives.
Motsoaledi said commercial flights could not be used, as they would not meet the requirements set by the Tanzanian authorities.
“This matter is not a small matter. When somebody runs to another country and he is handed over to the police, it is called rendition internationally. The Tanzanians said under no condition do they want to be blamed or accused of rendition so they can’t give Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha to the police or the army,” Motsoaledi told Parliament.
“The Tanzanian authorities were also not prepared to use any of the army and police’s mode of transport. That is why they insisted that Home Affairs must come and collect them.”
Motsoaledi told Members of Parliament (MPs) that the Tanzanian authorities opted for the deportation of Bester and Magudumana rather than extradition or rendition.
“They opted on deportation, not extradition or any other system. When a person is deported to their country of origin, they are handed only to immigration officials of that country, not any other authorities, and the Tanzanians said they are not prepared to hand over Thabo Bester to police,” said Motsoaledi.
“When a person is deported to their country of origin, they are handed over to immigration officials of that country, not any other authority, it is strictly immigration officials via the ambassador of that particular country. The Tanzanians said they are not prepared to hand over Thabo to the police. They wanted immigration officials from Home Affairs in South Africa.”
He said the only option was to fly commercial and the department was told that 14 officials had to travel to the Tanzania to repatriate the Bester and Magudumana.
Motsoaledi also revealed that it cost the taxpayer R1.4 million to bring back the two fugitives from Tanzania on a chartered flight.
“We asked any company that could give us an airplane that can carry 14 people, which would be able to get landing rights and all the documentation on their own without the help from the state in less than 24 hours. There are companies which responded. The last one at R1.4 million was the cheapest of them all,” said Motsoaledi.
Motsoaledi said the chartered flight also needed to meet all the requirements set by the Tanzanian authorities.
“Which commercial flights, do you think it will have accepted and the passengers also sit comfortably seeing two people in handcuffs entering with a whole lot of people who have to be there to make sure that they don’t run away? I don’t think any aircraft would have allowed that.”
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