Thabo Bester, one of South Africa's most infamous criminals, is attempting to prevent Netflix from releasing a documentary that explores his life, including allegations that he faked his death and escaped prison.
His legal team claims that the three-part series, Beauty and the Bester, defames him, while Netflix insists the documentary tells an important story, including the experiences of his victims.
Bester’s partner, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, who is accused of assisting in his escape, is also part of the legal bid to halt the series.
The High Court is expected to deliver its ruling approximately 30 minutes before Netflix plans to stream the documentary globally on Friday.
Bester was sentenced in 2012 for the rape and murder of his girlfriend, Nomfundo Tyhulu, and had been found guilty a year earlier of raping and robbing two other women.
Dubbed the “Facebook rapist” for using social media to lure victims, Bester was serving a life sentence when he allegedly fled a maximum security prison in 2022. A fire at the facility led authorities to mistakenly identify a charred body as his, while he remained at large for about a year under an alias in Johannesburg.
The couple was eventually arrested in Tanzania in April 2023 and deported to South Africa, where they are held on multiple charges, including violating a corpse, fraud, and defeating the ends of justice. They have not yet entered pleas.
Bester’s lawyer, Advocate Moafrika Wa Maila, argued that the documentary violates his client’s right to a fair trial.
“There is not proof that he had escaped. He has not yet been convicted on this. There are many reasons why a person is no longer in prison, such as parole. The documentary is a kangaroo court,” he told the court, according to IOL.
He also said the title Beauty and the Bester is deliberately defamatory, portraying Bester as a “beast,” according to East Coast Radio.
Netflix’s advocate, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, countered that the series provides victims with a long-awaited platform.
“This documentary gives the victims of Thabo Bester a platform to be heard after years of silence. To silence the film is to silence them again,” he said.
Judge Sulet Potterill questioned Netflix on its planned release time and indicated that her decision would come just before the series goes live.
Bester’s alleged escape garnered global attention and outrage, highlighting South Africa’s persistent struggle with high sexual assault rates.
