LOVE, LIES, AND THE GREAT ESCAPE: INSIDE NETFLIX’S BEAUTY AND THE BESTER

Megan Grobler

@megan.gro_bler

 

Netflix’s “Beauty and the Bester” exposes the dark romance, deception, and daring prison break that stunned South Africa.

 

Previously thought to be dead, convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester escaped prison and lived a lavish life — with the help of celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana. The new Netflix documentary Beauty and the Bester uncovers the lies, the love story, and the escape that shocked the nation.

 

What should have been a regular checkpoint for smugglers between Kenya and Tanzania led to the capture of a convicted rapist, murderer, and his accomplice. On 8 April 2023, a Tanzanian–South African law enforcement group, accompanied by Interpol, approached a vehicle pulled over during a routine check and asked those inside to roll down their window. Thabo Bester and Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, disguised in Muslim attire, were on their way to Namanga before being arrested and deported back to South Africa.

 

While this came as a shock to many, the more pressing question on everyone’s mind was: “How did a convicted killer escape from a maximum-security prison?”

 

The new Netflix documentary Beauty and the Bester, directed by Anthony Molyneaux and executive produced by Neil Brandt, Laura Colucci, and Thandi Davids, quickly climbed Netflix’s Top 10 list in South Africa. It gives viewers a deep dive into the unbelievable story of Bester’s crimes, deception, and infamous prison escape.

 

The documentary clearly highlights the vastly different lifestyles of Thabo Bester and his co-accused, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, giving both individuals’ backstories through the perspectives of family, law enforcement, and media houses.

 

Thabo Bester, born on 13 June 1986 in Johannesburg and otherwise known as the “Facebook Rapist”, was a known rapist, murderer, and con artist sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 in Bloemfontein.

 

Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, born on 15 September 1989 in Bizana, Eastern Cape, was a medical practitioner and celebrity doctor. She graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Biomedical Sciences, followed by a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 2013. Married with two young daughters, a large circle of supportive friends, and a successful medical cosmetics business called Optimum Medical Aesthetics, Magudumana appeared to have a bright future ahead of her.

 

While it might have seemed unlikely for someone like Bester and Magudumana to cross paths, it became a reality after Bester introduced himself as “TK”, a wealthy businessman looking to invest in Optimum.

 

Lunga Ndwandwa, Magudumana’s close friend and brand manager, explained that she spoke highly of TK, and it soon became evident to him that there was more to their relationship than met the eye. Their connection deepened to the point that Magudumana trusted “TK” to pick her children up from school — a decision questioned by her friends and family.

 

When Magudumana began hiring entirely new staff, Ndwandwa grew increasingly concerned about her mental state and the future of her business. During a lunch meeting organised to address her strange behaviour, four men arrived unexpectedly. Ndwandwa was shocked to learn that Magudumana owed people money and had abandoned a car at the Zimbabwe border.

 

After that encounter, Magudumana began isolating herself and using multiple phone numbers. She also hired a driver and a bodyguard. Her friends and family suspected that TK was behind this, as he constantly called her and made business decisions on her behalf.

 

It was later discovered that, while TK’s constant control over her life caused distress, the real cause of Magudumana’s deteriorating mental state was far darker than anyone could have imagined.

 

According to GroundUp journalist Marecia Damons, Thabo Bester escaped Mangaung Prison with the help of corrupt prison officials. A corpse was smuggled into the prison grounds hidden inside a TV cabinet on a bakkie and placed in Bester’s cell. Judge Edwin Cameron of the High Court of South Africa explained that one of the officials set the body alight beneath Bester’s mattress, hoping everyone would believe Bester had committed suicide. Bester was then given a prison staff uniform and helped to escape through the emergency doors and administrative building.

 

It was said that Bester had a way of speaking that drew people in and commanded respect — a trait former Mangaung prison guard Morui Mphou believes helped him manipulate staff into aiding his escape.

 

GroundUp News in the Western Cape later received a photo from a woman who claimed to have spotted Dr. Magudumana shopping at Woolworths in Sandton. She took the picture because she was a fan of Magudumana’s work — but in the image, Magudumana appeared alongside a man strongly resembling Thabo Bester.

 

This became the turning point in the investigation, as the photo was taken a month after Bester’s alleged suicide. The image confirmed Bester’s escape and suggested he had been aided by the once-respected Dr. Magudumana. Her connection to Bester drastically amplified public interest in the case.

 

When Ndwandwa and other friends and relatives saw the photo, they realised that “TK,” the businessman and supposed Optimum investor, was actually Thabo Bester — the convicted rapist and murderer. The pieces began to fall into place, and Magudumana’s family and friends expressed growing concern for her safety.

 

The discovery of Bester’s escape led to the couple’s flight to Tanzania, where they were later captured by law enforcement and Interpol. It was also revealed that Magudumana had regularly visited Bester in prison, giving him access to laptops and the internet. She allegedly claimed two bodies to facilitate his escape — one of which was disposed of in the Kopano Nokeng River inside a sleeping bag. She also hid Bester from police at her Hyde Park mansion in Johannesburg, and the pair ran several fraudulent businesses together.

 

The documentary showcases how the collaborative efforts of GroundUp journalists, members of the public, and law enforcement finally brought Thabo Bester and Dr. Nandipha Magudumana to justice.

 

Beauty and the Bester powerfully depicts how emotional manipulation can drive a successful and seemingly happy wife and mother of two to commit heinous crimes in the name of love. It raises questions of morality and the reasoning behind Magudumana’s involvement in Bester’s criminal life — leaving viewers with divided opinions on her guilt.

 

This story has sparked many questions among South Africans: Why did Magudumana choose her lover over her family? How did the justice system allow Bester to escape? And was it love or fear that drove her to commit crimes for him?

 

Today, Thabo Bester continues to serve his life sentence at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria. Meanwhile, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana — once a celebrated medical professional — has had her medical licence revoked and remains in custody at Bizzah Makhate Correctional Centre, awaiting trial. Their story remains one of the most shocking criminal sagas in South Africa’s modern history.

 

 

 

Edited by Simoné de Witt