A South African court on Friday rejected an appeal to halt the release of a Netflix documentary centered on Thabo Bester, a man renowned for his convictions of rape and murder, and his subsequent attempt to escape justice by faking his own death.
Bester gained worldwide attention in 2023 after his capture in Tanzania, one year after his dramatic evasion from a private prison facility in Bloemfontein. Authorities initially believed that Bester, often referred to as the ‘Facebook Rapist’, had perished in a fire in his cell. However, DNA testing exposed his ruse when it was revealed that the burnt remains were not his.
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Bester and Nandipha Magudumana, his partner, who is a known public figure in the medical field, objected to the three-part documentary titled ‘Beauty and the Bester’, arguing it was defamatory and infringed on their rights to a fair trial. However, Judge Sulet Potterill dismissed the request, stating the pair failed to establish the urgency of their appeal and highlighting the matter’s relevance in the public eye.
The judge invoked the pair’s right to pursue a defamation lawsuit post the airing of the documentary.
Bester was initially sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for luring victims on Facebook, then raping and robbing them, leading to at least one death. Currently, he is facing separate charges, including those related to his escape.
Doubts about Bester’s death were first raised by local media outlet GroundUp. Following this, police initiated a new murder investigation after an autopsy revealed that the body in Bester’s cell died from blunt force trauma to the head before being set on fire. The remains were later identified as Katlego Bereng Mpholo.
Before their flight abroad, Bester and Magudumana were believed to have resided in a mansion in a prosperous suburb of Johannesburg. The pair were apprehended while on the run in Tanzania in April 2023 and was subsequently deported.
The film was released hours after Friday’s judgment was rendered. This is a clear reminder of the public’s right to information and the importance of truth in our democratic society.
