Thabo Bester

Last updated

Thabo Bester
Born (1986-06-13) 13 June 1986 (age 38)
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
Other names
TK Nkwana
Katlego Tom Motsepe Nkwana
William Kelly
Known for
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in) [1]
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Conviction(s) 2011 - two counts of rape 2012 - one count of murder
Criminal chargeRape, Murder
Penalty Life imprisonment (sentenced in 2012)
Reward amount
 R100 000 (Fidelity ADT)
Capture status
Arrested
Partner(s) Nandipha Magudumana
Time at large
11 months
Escaped3 May 2022 [2]
Escape end8 April 2023 [3]
Details
VictimsNomfundo Tiyhulu
CountrySouth Africa
Location(s) Pretoria, Gauteng
Imprisoned at Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area

Thabo Bester (born 13 June 1986) [4] is a South African convicted rapist and murderer who escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in South Africa after faking his death in a fire in his prison cell in May 2022. [5] [6] He was on the run for almost a year before being caught in Arusha, Tanzania on 8 April 2023. [7] He was arrested along with his partner and alleged accomplice, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana. [8] Bester had become known as the "Facebook rapist" because he used the platform to lure models with fake job opportunities. [9] He pleaded guilty to two rapes and one murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Contents

Early life

Thabo Bester was born at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa on 13 June 1986. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told the media in 2023, that Maria Mabaso, the mother of Thabo, was never able to register her son after giving birth to him. [10] Mabaso was not registered herself, due to her own mother working on farms and not registering her birth. [11] The Home Affairs Minister also said that Thabo Bester was first convicted at the age of 17, when he would have been eligible to get an ID. [10] Bester has become infamous for his criminal activities and con artistry. [6] He has used multiple aliases throughout this criminal career. At the age of 19, he spent two years in jail for fraud before breaking parole and raping two models and murdering his girlfriend, Nomfundo Tiyhulu. He pleaded guilty to the rapes in 2011 and to the murder in 2012. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Imprisonment and escape

Bester was imprisoned at Mangaung Correctional Centre in South Africa, a private maximum security prison owned and run by multinational security company G4S. [12] While in prison, Bester ran a sham media and events company called 21st Century Media, which posed as a subsidiary of multinational media group 21st Century Fox. The sole director of the company was Phumudzo Thenga, but Bester is believed to have played a hands-on role in the company, sending instructions via text message while in prison. In 2018, the company became the subject of a media outcry after it falsely advertised Taraji P. Henson and Halle Berry as guest speakers of an event. Henson and Berry rubbished the claims on Twitter and the event never took place. Thenga later distanced herself from the company, saying that she was scammed by Bester.

On 3 May 2022, Bester was declared dead after a fire broke out in his cell at Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein and a body was found, burned beyond recognition. The Department of Correctional Services announced his death to the public on the same day and said that he had committed suicide. In October 2022, South African news agency GroundUp published an article by Marecia Damons raising questions about the investigation into Bester's death. [13] In January 2023, GroundUp published another article by Damons citing post-mortem results on the body found in Bester's cell, which found that the body was dead before the fire broke out. The GroundUp article also revealed that the police had started to investigate a murder. [14]

On 15 March 2023, GroundUp published a third article, by Marecia Damons and Daniel Steyn, revealing evidence that Bester had faked his death in the fire and escaped from prison. [15] The article also mentioned a court case brought by Nandipha Magudumana, a celebrity doctor, to get the body found in the cell, which was believed to be that of Bester at the time, returned to her. In her court papers, Magudumana claimed to be Bester's customary law wife.

On 17 March 2023, Damons and Steyn published another article containing pictures of Bester and Magudumana shopping in a Woolworths grocery store in Sandton City. [16] A week later, after public outcry, the Department of Correctional Services admitted that Bester had escaped from prison. [17]

Private security firm, Fidelity, took to Facebook to offer a R100,000 award for any information that led to the arrest and conviction of Bester. [18] It was later confirmed by police in April 2023 that the burnt body was that of Katlego Bereng Mpholo who had gone missing in April 2022. [19] [20]

In testimony before parliament in April 2023, Inspecting Judge for Correctional Services Edwin Cameron said that he was the source of information leaked to GroundUp. [21]

Life after prison and rearrest

After escaping from prison, Bester lived in a rented mansion in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, with Nandipha Magudumana. [22] He used the pseudonym TK Nkwana. Bester and Magudumana ran a scam property company, Arum Properties, and convinced several people to pay deposits for construction projects which were never completed. [23]

On 8 April 2023, Bester and Magudumana were arrested by Tanzanian authorities in Arusha, Tanzania. The couple was deported and arrived back in South Africa several days later. [24] As of May 2023, eight people have been charged in connection with Bester's escape. [25]

Citizenship

Bester was never officially documented as a South African citizen with the Department of Home Affairs. Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi said that when Bester was caught in Tanzania in April 2023, he was found in possession of an American passport under the guise of Tom Williams Kelly. Motsoaledi said that although Bester was born in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital on 13 June 1986, he was never registered on the National Population Register. [26] On 22 May 2023, Motsoaledi announced that Bester had been added to the National Population Register and had been furnished with an ID document. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloemfontein</span> City in South Africa

Bloemfontein, also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongside the legislative capital Cape Town and administrative capital Pretoria, although the highest court in South Africa, the Constitutional Court, has been in Johannesburg since 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivonia Trial</span> 1963–64 arrest and trial of activist leaders in Pretoria, South Africa

The Rivonia Trial was a trial that took place in apartheid-era South Africa between 9 October 1963 and 12 June 1964, after a group of anti-apartheid activists were arrested on Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia. The farm had been the secret location for meetings of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the newly-formed armed wing of the African National Congress. The trial took place in Pretoria at the Palace of Justice and the Old Synagogue and led to the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoaledi, Andrew Mlangeni. Many were convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Belmarsh</span> Mens prison in Thamesmead, London, England

His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison in Thamesmead, southeast London, England. The prison is used for high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Within the grounds is the High Security Unit (HSU), which consists of 48 single cells. It is run by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been called "Britain's Guantanamo Bay" due to the long-term detention of terrorism suspects without charge. Considered the toughest prison in the UK, Belmarsh is also notoriously known as "Hellmarsh" due to the high number of physical and authority abuses reported by both the prison's inmates, and by human rights activists.

The following lists events that happened during 1969 in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Steyn</span> South African cricketer

Dale Willem Steyn is a South African former professional cricketer who played for the South African cricket team. He is regarded by many as the greatest bowler of the Modern Era. Steyn's ability to produce late swing at high pace - a rare and lethal combination amongst fast bowlers - made him stand apart from many of his contemporaries. Many cricketing legends have regarded his length deliveries unplayable when the ball swung. During the 2007–08 season, Steyn achieved a tally of 78 wickets at an average of 16.24, and was subsequently rewarded with the ICC 2008 Test Cricketer of the Year Award. He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2013, and the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2013 in 2014's Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. In December 2015 he injured his shoulder in the Durban Test against England ; after this injury his career was a short lived one as it was followed by multiple injuries; these injuries were the reason why many cricketing greats didn't even consider post 2015 Steyn as "The Dale Steyn" which the batsmen feared to face. He was featured in Wisden Cricketers of the Decade at the end of 2019. He also was included in the ICC Test Team of the Decade at the end of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Cameron</span> South African judge

Edwin Cameron is a retired judge who served as a Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He is well known for his HIV/AIDS and gay-rights activism and was hailed by Nelson Mandela as "one of South Africa's new heroes". President Ramaphosa appointed him as Inspecting Judge of Correctional Services from 1 January 2020 and in October 2019 he was elected Chancellor of Stellenbosch University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality</span> District municipality in Free State, South Africa

The Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality is one of the 5 districts of the Free State province of South Africa. The seat is Witsieshoek. As of 2011, a majority of its 725,932 residents spoke Sesotho. The district code is DC19

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Motsoaledi</span> South African politician

Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi is a South African politician is the Minister of Health in the cabinet of South Africa, having been appointed in this position with effect 3 July 2024. He was previously the Minister of Home Affairs from 2019 to 2024 as well as the Minister of Health from 2009 to 2019. A member of the National Assembly since 2009, he is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality</span> Metropolitan municipality in Free State, South Africa

The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality which governs Bloemfontein and surrounding towns in the Free State province of South Africa. Mangaung is a Sesotho word meaning "place of cheetahs", as it was not uncommon for the Basotho to name warrior regiments after ferocious animals.

Pretoria Central Prison, renamed Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area by former President Jacob Zuma on 13 April 2013 and sometimes referred to as Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Services is a large prison in central Pretoria, within the City of Tshwane in South Africa. It is operated by the South African Department of Correctional Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond Platnumz</span> Tanzanian singer, dancer, philanthropist and businessman

Naseeb Abdul Juma Issack, professionally known as Diamond Platnumz, is a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist, dancer, philanthropist and businessman. He is the founder and CEO of WCB Wasafi Record Label, Wasafi Bet and Wasafi Media. Diamond has gained a massive following in East and Central Africa. He became the first Africa-based artist to reach 900 million views on YouTube.

Peter Samuel Cook was a British serial rapist who attacked women in Cambridge, England and so became known in the press as the Cambridge Rapist. He attacked women after breaking into their bedsits and flats. He was active between October 1974 and April 1975, and was also called the 'hooded rapist' because of a distinctive leather mask he wore whilst carrying out his crimes. The mask was reported to be "stitched from an old leather shopping bag. The zipper-mouthed mask had the word 'rapist' painted in white across the forehead".

G4S describes itself as "the world's leading provider of security solutions" and provides security services for over 40 embassies around the world, works as stewards at football stadiums and runs over six British prisons, operates prisoner tagging schemes, assists within the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in the United Kingdom, and provides administrative roles to the health and education sectors. The company operates as a subsidiary of an American security services provider Allied Universal since April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robben Island (prison)</span> Former prison off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa

Robben Island Prison is an inactive prison on Robben Island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometers (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of apartheid. Since then, three former inmates of the prison have gone on to become President of South Africa.

The Mangaung Prison is a maximum security prison in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. The prison is privately owned and managed by the company G4S as part of a consortium. The South African Department of Correctional Services signed a 25-year contract with the consortium in 2000. The prison can accommodate around 3,000 prisoners.

GroundUp is a South African-based not-for-profit news agency. It publishes most content under a creative commons license and is known for its focus on public interest stories within vulnerable communities with a "bottom-up" style of reporting. Their content is regularly reprinted and featured in other South African news publications such as the Daily Maverick, News24, and Mail & Guardian. The publication was founded in 2012 by Nathan Geffen, a former Treatment Action Campaign member.

Thabo Manyoni is a South African politician who was the Mayor of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality from 2011 to 2016. He represented his party, the African National Congress (ANC), in the Free State Executive Council from 2009 to 2011 and in the National Assembly from 2016 to 2017. He was Deputy Provincial Chairperson of the ANC's Free State branch from 2008 to 2017. He was also Chairperson of the South African Local Government Association from 2011 to 2016 and in 2019 he was appointed to a five-year term as Chairperson of South Africa's Municipal Demarcation Board.

<i>Tracking Thabo Bester</i> South African mini docuseries

Tracking Thabo Bester is a South African true crime mini television documentary series based on the story of the dramatic prison escape of murderer and rapist Thabo Bester and his alleged accomplice girlfriend, "celebrity" medical doctor Nandipha Magudumana. It was directed by Nikki Comninos, and produced by IdeaCandy, it premiered on 15 March 2024 on Showmax.

Nandipha Magudumana is a South African medical practitioner and celebrity doctor born in Bizana, Eastern Cape, and raised in Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal.

References

  1. ↑ Swarthout, Iris. "G4S provides obscure answers on Bester prison escape to convince irate MPs". City Press. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Steyn, Marecia Damons and Daniel. "Did the Facebook rapist die in his cell? Or did he escape from prison?". News24. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Escapee Thabo Bester arrested in Tanzania with long time friends Thabiso Christopher Mahlangu Obakeng boyfriend". Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Lekabe, Thapelo (14 April 2023). "Thabo Bester was born in SA, but not registered with Home Affairs – Motsoaledi". The Citizen . Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Fihlani, Pumza (13 April 2023). "Thabo Bester: South Africa's 'Facebook rapist' deported from Tanzania". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 Mueni, Priscillah (11 April 2023). "Who is Thabo Bester? Everything to know about the South African fugitive". Briefly. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  7. ↑ Fihlani, Pumza (12 April 2023). "Thabo Bester: South Africa celebrity doctor's father charged over rapist's escape". BBC News . Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "Thabo Bester: A timeline of what you need to know, from escape to re-arrest". Eyewitness News. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Damons, Marecia (8 November 2022). "Many mysteries surround the death of 'Facebook rapist' Thabo Bester". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  10. 1 2 Thabo Bester never registered as an SA citizen with home affairs - Motsoaledi, ewn.co.za, April 14, 2023
  11. ↑ Ngcobo, Khanyisile (14 April 2023). "Born at Bara to mom of four, but Thabo Bester was never registered with home affairs". Times Live.
  12. ↑ Damons, Mareciia; Steyn, Daniel (24 March 2023). "Thabo Bester ran a glamorous media company from prison". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Damons, Marecia (8 November 2022). "Many mysteries surround the death of 'Facebook rapist' Thabo Bester". GroundUp . Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  14. ↑ Damons, Marecia (20 January 2023). "Murder at Mangaung Prison: Leaked report shows 'Facebook rapist' was dead before a fire broke out in his cell". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  15. ↑ Damons, Marecia; Steyn, Daniel (15 March 2023). "Did the Facebook rapist die in his cell? Or did he escape from prison?". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  16. ↑ Steyn, Daniel; Damons, Marecia (17 March 2023). "More evidence links Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  17. ↑ Staff, GroundUp (25 March 2023). "Government admits Thabo Bester has escaped". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  18. ↑ Patrick, Alex; Panchia, Yeshiel (30 March 2023). "Private security firm offers R100 000 reward for information on Thabo Bester". News24 . Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Thabo Bester: Body used in South African rapist's prison break identified". BBC News. 23 April 2023. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  20. ↑ Steyn, Becker Semela and Daniel (25 April 2023). "Thabo Bester escape: Many unanswered questions about the death of Katlego Bereng". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  21. ↑ Damons, Marecia; Steyn, Daniel (14 April 2023). "Thabo Bester escape: ministers and officials scramble to answer MPs' questions". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  22. ↑ Steyn, Daniel; Damons, Marecia; Mutandiro, Kimberley (23 March 2023). "Thabo Bester saga: Nandipha Magudumana abandons her rented mansion". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  23. ↑ Damons, Marecia; Steyn, Daniel (29 March 2023). "Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha made millions from construction company". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  24. ↑ Steyn, Daniel; Damons, Marecia (13 April 2023). "Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana back in South Africa - and behind bars". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  25. ↑ Steyn, Daniel; Simela, Becker (29 May 2023). "Magistrate denies bail to four accused in the Thabo Bester escape". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  26. ↑ "THABO BESTER NEVER REGISTERED AS AN SA CITIZEN WITH HOME AFFAIRS". Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  27. ↑ Damons, Marecia (22 May 2023). "Motsoaledi rubbishes Dr Nandipha's court bid to have her arrest in Tanzania declared "unlawful"". GroundUp News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.