Aaron Motsoaledi turns down Thabo Bester’s attempt to question deportation in court. Thabo Bester’s attempt to challenge his deportation from Tanzania in court has been shot down by Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi.
When Bester was apprehended in Arusha alongside Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, according to Motsoaledi, he was given an emergency travel certificate since he lacked a South African passport.
He claimed that Bester divulged personal information to Arusha immigration officers.
The emergency travel certificate is given to a South African who has lost their passport abroad, according to Motsoaledi, who was addressing MPs on Tuesday.
If the data on the emergency travel certificate matches the data in their systems, the home affairs officials will then check the data upon entry into the nation.
Motsoaledi claimed that he had read stories claiming that Bester had questioned the paperwork used to get him on the plane back to South Africa when he appeared in court last week.
A South African travels to the embassy to obtain the emergency travel document when they misplace their ID or passport abroad.
“What should happen is that you go to the South African embassy. They issue you with what is called the emergency travel certificate. The emergency travel certificate is not an emergency passport as people usually like saying. We give you an emergency travel certificate, which is a handwritten document. We write whatever information you give us about yourself because we have got no other document to check. You give us that information. You take it to the flight and you fly home. When you land that document has got no use, whatsoever. It comes to an end,” said Motsoaledi.
When they arrive back in the country they verify that information against their systems.
This was the same process that was followed with Bester when he was caught in Tanzania.
They discovered that the information was incorrect when they compared it to what Bester had told them.
They searched all of their databases but couldn’t find Bester.
The minister stated that since he had misled home affairs about his information, it was now up to the police to investigate that.
“When they arrived at Lanseria they immediately went into the system and checked that number and indeed as expected found it did not exist,” he said.
“It means it is a charge as far as I am concerned because he is defeating the ends of justice to give legitimate law enforcement officers a wrong number deliberately and turns in court that he was brought in a wrong number when you are the one who gave it,” said Motsoaledi.
