Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi has lifted the lid on the two passports found in possession of Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s in Tanzania, but belonged to Dr Mmereka Ntshani.
The minister said it was a riddle how they landed in the former’s possession.
Motsoaledi said what was puzzling was that Ntshani had given conflicting versions on how she lost her passport in 2019.
In the first version she gave to the police in 2019 she said her passport was stolen.
But when she went to the police on March 27 this year Ntshani claimed that she had given her passport to Magudumana and TK Nkwana, who has emerged as Thabo Bester, to get her a working citizenship in the US.
Motsoaledi said Ntshani applied for another passport on April 3, but she hadn’t returned to collect it.
The minister said when Magudumana was arrested in Tanzania last Friday, she was found in possession of her own passport and two passports of Ntshani. One of Ntshani’s passports had expired in 2022.
“It beats us as to why she was carrying an expired passport. It has got no use. It can’t be used around any border, because as I told you, passports are not only controlled by us because they get used in many countries,” said Motsoaledi.
The second passport Magudumana was carrying also belonged to Ntshani and was due to expire in 2029.
He said in 2019 Ntshani had claimed to the police she lost her passport.
“She deposed an affidavit to the SAPS in 2019 and declared that her passport was stolen. With that affidavit she came to Home Affairs. We gave her a new passport. That is the one that is due to expire in 2029,” said Motsoaledi.
“On March 27 (this year) Dr Ntshani approached the police again, deposed another affidavit. In this one she wasn’t stating that the passport was stolen. She stated that she gave it to Dr Nandipha Magudumana and TK Nkwana.
“She said she gave it to them because they were going to apply for her for a working citizenship in the US. I don’t know much about this, but people who apply for this working citizenship tell me that it isn’t possible that you can send somebody.
“They say you must come in person. But she wrote on that affidavit that she gave it away,” said Motsoaledi.
He said Ntshani’s two passports were found with Magudumana when she was arrested in Tanzania.
He said in the affidavit Ntshani claimed she was worried because Magudumana and Bester were now on the run and she didn’t know what they were going to do with her passports.
“But on the strength of that affidavit, she came to Home Affairs on April 3 to take another passport. Remember, she is having a passport that is to expire in 2029. That passport hasn’t been collected yet at Home Affairs,” said Motsoaledi.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Current Affairs