Showmax has announced a gripping four-part series about the crime spree of South Africa's most brazen convict Thabo Bester and his reported girlfriend Nandipha Magdumana.
The couple is currently awaiting a preliminary hearing in the state Freedom Court. The two, along with seven others, are charged with aiding and abetting Bester's escape from prison, fraud, corruption and violating multiple organizations.
Tracking THABO BESTER on Showmax: All the details
“Chasing Thabo Bester” will be screened in two parts on March 15th and March 22nd on the streaming service Showmax. The series is produced by IdeaCandy, who also worked on Devilsdorp and Rosemary's Hitlist.
A four-part true crime documentary chronicles the shocking news that a convicted murderer and rapist was not burned to death in his cell at Mangan Prison. Instead, he was seen shopping with Nandifa Magdumana at Woolworths in Sandton City.
According to Showmax, the first episode follows GroundUp journalists Malesia Damons and Danielle Stein as they investigate an anonymous tip. The two co-wrote the best-selling book, The Thabo Bester Story: The Facebook Rapist, the Celebrity Doctor, and the Escape from Cell 35.
Later episodes will show why Bester was called the Facebook Rapist and was initially sent to prison. She also tells the story of how a famous doctor fell in love with a convicted criminal and fled with him to Tanzania, leaving her children behind. In the end, viewers will find out who actually died in Cell 35.
This documentary features interviews with prisoners at Mangan Correctional Center and prison guards. The family of Katlego Belen Muhoro, whose body was found in cell 35. Dr Gerard Labuschagne, a former South African police profiler, interviewed Nandifa's brother Nkosinati Sekeleni and Bester, who was arrested in 2012 for rape and murder.
The documentary also shows media and social media reactions to the story.
Coach Nikki Komuninos said: “We tend to discuss Tavo Bester as if it were an isolated incident, but that's clearly not the case.
“While Bester has been portrayed as something of an anomaly in that he was able to run a business while in prison, Dawi de Villiers, also a convicted rapist who seduced his victims online, is something of an anomaly. This begs the question of what is going on in South Africa's prison system.”
Watch the trailer:
When will the trial resume?
Thabo, his co-defendant Nandipha Magdumana, and seven others are scheduled to reappear in court on June 5, 2024, for a pre-trial conference.
