Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA) Archives
Pretoria- A medical doctor whose identity has been allegedly used by Dr Nandipha Magudumana during her daring escape with ‘Facebook rapist’ Thabo Bester has written a cease and desist letter to Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
Dr Mmereka Ntshani, also known as Dr Pashy on social media, wants Motsoaledi to apologise for the statement he made about her with connection in the Bester escape.
Ntshani has denied any involvement in Bester’s escape plan. Instead, she said Magudumana stole her identity after her two passports were found in her possession in Tanzania.
However, in April, during a media briefing, Motsoaledi denied that Magudumana stole Ntshani’s identity and said what was puzzling was that Ntshani gave conflicting versions of 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.
“So the story that Magudumana assumed the identity of Dr Ntshani, that’s not true. She never assumed that identity. She just carried the two passports and never used them. At no stage did she tell anyone she was Dr Ntshani,” Motsoaledi said.
In her letter to the Motsoaledi, Ntshani said the statements made by the Minister have had a negative impact on her job, and some of her colleagues are reluctant to work with her.
Ntshani has threatened to take legal action against Motsoaledi should he not retract and apologise.
Meanwhile, on April 20, Ntshani opened a case of fraud against Magudumana and Bester.
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