Latest news with #ThaboBester
The South African
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
'Risked it all': Where is Nandipha Magudumana's husband?
Nandipha Maguduman's recent court appearance has left many South Africans questioning how and why she gave up her glamorous and successful life – and her marriage – to embark on a criminal spree with fellow-accused, Thabo Bester. The alleged couple are currently facing charges of orchestrating his 2022 prison escape, defrauding the public, and violating multiple bodies. They appeared at the Free State High Court for a pre-trial hearing, which has been postponed to 19 September. Their trial is set to begin on 10 November at the Bloemfontein High Court. With all eyes on Nandipha, many want to know where her other half, Mr Magudumana, is. Despite being a married woman, the celebrity aesthetics doctor allegedly embarked on an affair with Thabo Bester while he was behind bars for a rape and murder conviction in 2012. At the time, Nandipha was married to Mkhuseli Magudumana, who is a paediatric medical doctor. The former couple shares two daughters together: Ayana and Aziza. But according to an affidavit, Nandipha claimed she was Bester's 'customary wife.' In a tweet posted following her arrest, former friend Redi Tlhabi claims the couple divorced in 2022. However, conflicting reports claim that Nandipha is still legally married to Mkhuseli Magudumana, who has kept a low profile since her arrest. Where is Nandipha Magudumana's husband Mkhuseli? Images via Instagram: @drnandi/ Showmax In Nandipha's 2024 bail application, she revealed that she is currently separated from her husband. In a sworn statement, Nandipha claimed that she met Thabo Bester at Wits University in 2006, where he allegedly studied theology. Official reports have revealed that Bester only has a grade 7 education. Nandipha also claimed that she and Bester began dating in 2017, and he paid lobola for her in 2020. While Nandipha Magudumana's frail appearance has concerned many South Africans, others have claimed that she is merely playing the public empathy card. Some even insinuated that she was no better than Thabo Bester himself. In court appearances, Nandipha Magudumana has appeared to read her Bible, pray, and sing, all while under the watchful eye of clicking cameras. Months after her arrest, the mom-of-two was in tears when her attorney claimed that Thabo Bester had 'forced' her to skip the country with her. In a letter written during Women's Month, Nandipha also claimed that she was abused by many men in her life, possibly including Bester. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Home affairs ID verification cost to increase by up to 6 500%
The department wants to correct what it called 'unsustainable under-pricing of verification services'. Former Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi shows the media Thabo Bester's newly issued identity document during a media briefing in Pretoria on Monday, 22 May 2023. Picture: Screengrab The Department of Home Affairs has announced it will be increasing the cost that companies must pay to verify people's identities by up to 6,500% in an effort to correct what it called 'unsustainable under-pricing of verification services.' The department also announced on Monday that it will launch an upgraded verification system for the national population register (NPR). Verification system Since 2013, Home Affairs has provided a service, known as the online verification system (OVS), allowing third-party companies, including banks, insurance companies and mobile network operators, to verify identities and other biographical information of their clients against the NPR. The OVS essentially enables these companies to prevent fraud by verifying that a person attempting to sign up for accounts and services is who they claim to be. ALSO READ: Gauteng Traffic Police and Home Affairs immigration officers arrested for kidnapping and theft Under pricing In a statement on Monday, the department said the R0.15 cents rate charged by the state is far below the cost the private sector charges for OVS, which 'deprived Home Affairs of the resources required to maintain the NPR'. 'Extreme under-pricing has led to profiteering and abuses by some users that overwhelm the NPR and cause failure rates in excess of 50%, contributing to 'system offline' failures at Home Affairs offices and threatening national security'. Massive increase The department published a notice in the Government Gazette on Monday, resulting in an increase in the price of real-time verification services against the NPR from R0.15 to R10. This is an increase of 6 500%. 'This vicious cycle is unsustainable. The artificially low pricing structure has led to such severe under-investment in the NPR that it now poses a direct threat to financial inclusion, to the ability of the government to combat identity and financial crime, and to national security. Home Affairs is bringing an end to this vicious cycle. 'After initiating substantial upgrades to the service, Home Affairs today gazetted a new price structure that sets a cost-reflective price for real-time verifications during peak hours at R10, while introducing an off-peak, low-cost alternative for batch transactions costing just R1,' the department said. ALSO READ: Big changes coming for ID, passport applications and birth registrations – Home Affairs Roll-out The department said it will start rolling out from the 1st of July. 'The upgraded OVS functions as a sleek, modern system that delivers what it was designed to do. It now performs in real-time, and the failure rate has been reduced to below 1%'. Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber said the 'matter of national security, plain and simple.' 'Every responsible State on earth must take the necessary steps to ensure a functional population register. This upgrade also advances financial inclusion and makes a significant contribution to South Africa's attempts to get off the Financial Action Task Force's grey list.' Increase welcomed Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has welcomed the adjustments announced by Home Affairs. 'This decades-long de facto subsidy for financial institutions has created a perverse crisis where, due to the absurdly low fee charged by the Department, many have simply overloaded the system with requests'. System offline Cosatu said the consequence has been the system's continuously being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of repeat requests for information and frequently crashing. 'This has compounded an already overstretched Home Affairs, battling to cope with long queues and the system being repeatedly offline. 'The working class has been the victims of this vicious spiral with workers losing out on wages as they queue for days at a time to apply for documents and Home Affairs officials, already battling a crippling 60% vacancy rate, having to manage long queues of frustrated members of the public and systems failures over which they have zero control,' Cosatu said. Cosatu said it will engage its affiliates, who organise workers across the banking, financial institutions, and retail sectors, to ensure that the cost-reflective charges put in place by the Department are not used as an excuse by these private sector institutions to increase banking and related fees charged to customers. ALSO READ: Home Affairs clears 250 000 ID backlog in one month
eNCA
21-06-2025
- eNCA
Katlego Bereng's mother pleads for justice
BLOEMFONTEIN - A grieving mother is desperate to know why her son died, and why his body ended up in Thabo Bester's cell. Katlego Bereng's body was planted in the cell as part of the rapist and murderer's elaborate escape. The NPA dropped charges of murder against the accused in the Bester escape due to insufficient evidence. But Bereng's mother is convinced those in the dock killed her son. The state is alleging that Nandipha Magudumana claimed Bereng's body under false pretences, with the help of Zimbabwean Zanda Moyo. A post-mortem report said Bereng died of unnatural causes. His family hopes the trial will reveal how he died.
The South African
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Well-connected? Thabo Bester claims to know these celebs
With his charm and gift of the gab, Thabo Bester has repeatedly deceived the public into believing he was a hotshot businessman. The convicted criminal is also thought to be well-connected to several celebrities and politicians who have directly or indirectly crossed paths with him. Thabo and his co-accused, former girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana and seven others, are facing a slew of charges, including aiding his 2022 prison escape, running fraudulent businesses, and violating multiple bodies. His trial is set to begin on 10 November at the Bloemfontein High Court. In 2023, Thabo Bester was first linked to celebrity aesthetics doctor Nandipha Magudumana. However, his 'contact list' reportedly contains many more prominent names… Through his own admission and via media reports, these celebrities' names have been linked to Thabo Bester… In 2012, a year after his sentencing for rape and murder, Pearl Thusi went public about coming came face to face with the man dubbed the 'Facebook Rapist' in a chilling encounter. In a police affidavit shown to Sunday World , the star revealed how she had survived an attack by the convict. Pearl allegedly introduced Bester to actor Tumisho Masha and later singer-turned-preacher Kabelo Mabalane. Masha later told the media that Thabo Bester was a 'textbook definition of a psychopath'. In a letter written from prison in 2013, Bester claimed he had been 'abandoned' by his celebrity pals and wrote about feeling 'loneliness, rejection, and judgment.' In the letter, Thabo Bester name-dropped a reported friendship with media personality Bonang Matheba. Addressing the star directly, Bester wrote: 'I was the one who believed in you from the days of UJ (University of Johannesburg). Through me, you got your dream job. From that Fiat to Mini, I was with you.' Thabo Bester once claimed to be close friends with Bonang Matheba. Images via YouTube screenshot/ Instagram: @bonang_m He added: 'It's ok because God knows me, and I love you as a sister in God…Bonang, God bless you with more work'. Bonang reportedly clapped back at Bester's wild allegations. She told the media: 'This is bizarre because I don't know him at all.' In investigations published by GroundUp, Thabo Bester ran an elaborate, multi-million rand scam while in prison. Under an alleged accomplice – he registered an event and production company called 21st Century Media in 2018. This, while he was imprisoned at the Magaung Correctional Centre for his murder and rape sentence. The company held a grand launch party at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton, attended by celebs like Amanda du Pont, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, and politician Mzwanele Manyi. Bester – using the alias Tom Motsepe – told his company employees and the public that he was based in New York. He also claimed that he was related to SA billionaire Patrice Motsepe. In a video clip that has since gone viral, Nomzamo Mbatha and Thabile Ngwato were captured singing Happy Birthday to 'Tom,' who was seen laughing via a video link. Following his rearrest in 2023 alongside Nandipha Magudumana, Thabo Bester's name was once again linked to several more high-profile people. On the X platform, actress Simz Ngema and businesswoman Shauwn 'MaMkhize' Mkhize were accused of visiting Bester in prison. Both women vehemently denied the allegations of knowing the criminal. Simphiwe Simz Ngema clapped back at allegations linking her to convicted criminal Thabo Bester. Images via Instagram: @simzngema/ Twitter: @am_blujay The same year, a seemingly Photoshopped image of Bester with former president Jacob Zuma went viral on social media. Ironically, the Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi – who labelled the image a 'malicious attempt to tarnish the former president' – has been criticised for being duped by Bester years earlier. In 2018, Thabo Bester's fraudulent company, 21st Century Media, posted images of an event titled the 'Women In Media Conference.' The event had a star-studded line-up: Bonang Matheba was booked as the MC, and US actresses Taraji P. Henson, Halle Berry, and singer Ashanti were advertised as speakers. Local actress and media mogul Connie Ferguson and presenter Claire Mawisa were also billed to appear. But things took a turn for the worse when the women were alerted to the scam a month before the event. They have all denied being booked for the event. In 2023, investigative reporter Karen Maughan told Newzroom Afrika that a 'well-known celebrity' was linked to Thabo Bester. She alleged that a 'billionaire' businesswoman had visited Bester at the Mangaung Correctional Centre. 'We've been phoning a number of the people who've been visiting him, and a number of the people he listed as contacts – including a very well-known celebrity, who we know. We've seen her on TV', she said. She added: 'He was receiving visits from a woman who he claims to be this successful billionaire after the start of his relationship with Nandipha, which began in 2017'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
18-06-2025
- The South African
Thabo Bester gets his day in court: Trial date set
After more than two years of public outrage, intrigue, and international headlines, the trial linked to convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester's dramatic 2022 prison escape is officially heading to court. The high-profile case will be heard in the Bloemfontein High Court from 10 November 2025, where Bester and eight remaining co-accused will face a host of serious charges related to the audacious breakout from the Mangaung Correctional Centre, a privately operated prison managed by G4S. The accused face charges including fraud, corruption, assisting an escape, defeating the ends of justice, and desecration of a corpse – all stemming from a plot that saw Bester fake his own death and disappear from custody, only to be recaptured in Tanzania in 2023 alongside his partner, Dr Nandipha Magudumana. In a surprising turn during pre-trial proceedings last Friday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) withdrew charges against John Masukela, a former G4S employee. The prosecutor, Amanda Bester, offered no explanation for the decision, stating only: 'We can excuse him, and he can go in peace.' Masukela was released without objection from any legal representatives in the courtroom. The escape captivated the country when it was revealed in April 2023 that Thabo Bester had allegedly burned a corpse in his prison cell to fake his death. The story quickly evolved into a national scandal when it emerged he had been running businesses while in hiding, prompting public fury, resignations at G4S, and urgent debates about private prison oversight in South Africa. The case has also drawn intense public scrutiny due to the involvement of Dr Magudumana, a once-celebrated medical professional whose dramatic fall from grace included allegations of corpse smuggling and helping Bester flee the country. With just under five months until the trial begins, legal observers expect a courtroom showdown that could expose deep cracks in South Africa's prison system, security protocols, and accountability measures. The proceedings are likely to involve extensive testimony from correctional officials, forensic experts, and digital crime specialists. The trial is expected to last several weeks and could ultimately define public confidence in law enforcement and judicial transparency in the aftermath of one of the country's most shocking prison scandals. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
