Dr Nandipha Magudumana's brother has come out to defend himself after being accused of trying to extort money from his sister to keep her relationship with Thabo Bester a secret. In an interview with eNCA, Nathi Sekeleni said that those who were close to the couple feared for their lives especially since the pair was on the run. Now that Bester has been re-arrested, Nathi says the family is comfortable to speak out about what they know of the relationship.  ?

BESTER INTRODUCED AS TK NKWANA 

Nathi said that Dr Nandipha introduced Bester as TK Nkwana, who was her business mentor based in New York. According to Nathi, Bester was still in prison at the time. The brother said they were alarmed when Nandipha started buying expensive cars and even rented an expensive mansion in Hyde Park. Nathi said when he asked, Nandipha claimed to have received funding of more than R700 million from Industrial Development Corporation. "We have never met Bester, but we spoke to him on the phone, and he made it clear he didn't want my family at the house,' Nathi said. Nathi and his wife Tumi lived in the cottage at the property that was used by Bester as his hideout after his escape. He said after he found out the real identity of TK and threatened to expose Bester, Nandipha told him and his wife to move out as Bester was a dangerous man who was going to shoot his family. Nathi claimed that he sent the Hawks an email informing them about the relationship between his sister and Bester, but it was ignored. 

TRYING TO EXTORT MONEY  

Nathi dismissed claims that he only exposed Nandipha and her lover after he failed to extort R100 000 from the couple. "I was intoxicated at the time, because I was going through a lot after my family was kicked out of the house in the middle of the night. I was very emotional,' he said. Nathi added that on the same night his fairy was kicked out of the house, Nandipha offered to pay for their transport to go wherever they wanted to as TK was a dangerous man who was going to shoot them on their heads. 

ARRESTS 

Meanwhile, a 39?"year-old former G4S employee and Dr Nandipha's father, 65-year-old Zolile Sekeleni were arrested over the weekend and charged with abetting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody. Sekeleni was arrested at his home in Port Edward in the Eastern Cape while the former prison warder was nabbed in Bloemfontein. They will both appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court today. The two are allegedly part of those who helped Bester to escape from prison. SAPS has also said that a delegation led by the Deputy National Police Commissioner responsible for Policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili has arrived in Arusha, Tanzania where Bester and Nandipha were arrested on Friday night. The team is currently engaging with their Tanzanian counterparts to finalise all legal processes required towards bringing escapee Thabo Bester and his accomplices to justice in South Africa.