Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Beauty and the Bester’ delving deep into all the alleged crimes of Thabo Bester as well as his girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana, we get a docuseries unlike any other. It incorporates not only archival footage but also exclusive interviews with those close to the matter to really underscore both their romantic involvement and their actions until their 2023 arrest. The truth is, the latter was once well established, so while some believe she was likely taken advantage of by her partner, others suspect she became his alleged accomplice of her own free will.
Nandipha Magudumana Worked Hard to Build Her Career in the Medical Industry
It was on September 15, 1989, when Nandipha Sekeleni Magudumana was born in Bizana in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, into a well-educated yet middle-class family as one of three children. Thus, she grew up surrounded by affection, care, and support, even after the family relocated to Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal, for patriarch Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni’s career. It was actually with their unwavering applause and push towards her ambition that she enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand to study medicine upon graduating from Port Shepstone High School.
Nandipha graduated from college with a Bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences, Surgery, and Medicine before deciding to hone in on her passion by joining Edenvale Hospital in 2014. She served here for a year before moving on to Far East Rand Hospital, where she spread her wings to such an extent that she managed to specialize in three extremely difficult fields. In other words, she gradually became one of the most sought-after physicians in anesthesiology, dermatology, as well as plastic surgery, all the while sometimes continuing to dabble in general cases too.
However, it was Nandipha’s decision to establish a private practice offering cosmetic procedures, Optimum Medical Aesthetics Solutions, in 2017 that really propelled her to another level. After all, she focused on high-end procedures while applying the best possible techniques from across the globe, resulting in her gradually evolving into a celebrity doctor as well as public figure. In fact, she was even named in the South African Development Community’s list of Top 100 Young Leaders, following which she began to dabble in other alleged business ventures too.
Nandipha Magudumana Was Not Only Thabo Bester’s Partner But Also His Alleged Business Partner
Although Nandipha had tied the knot with fellow medical doctor Mkhuseli Magudumana in 2013 and soon welcomed their two beautiful daughters into the world, everything changed in 2017. According to the medical entrepreneur’s own statements to the court, she had first come across Thabo Bester while they were both attending the University of the Witwatersrand. They lost touch after graduation, but she ultimately reached out to him upon hearing he was incarcerated at the maximum-security Mangaung Prison in Bloemfontein on charges of rape and murder. We should mention that there are no reports indicating the inmate was ever enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand.
As per the aforementioned documentary, Nandipha and Thabo’s romantic relationship began not long after, and by the time May 2022 rolled around, she was claiming to be his common-law wife. In fact, when reports of the convict’s alleged death came out, she was the first person to come forward to claim his remains so as to immediately hold a funeral, but she was denied. This denial was because not only had she failed to mention she was already legally married to someone else, but officials also suspected foul play in the death of the man in Thabo’s prison cell.
It gradually came to light that Thabo had faked his death and escaped prison, allegedly with the help of Nandipha as well as others, following which he lived in plain sight under aliases. According to reports, the couple resided in a rented mansion in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, for the better part of ten months, during which they also established an alleged sham business. They reportedly ran Arum Properties together, through which they allegedly conned several people out of millions by having them pay deposits for construction projects that were never completed. As if that’s not enough, he was reportedly even helping run her medical business, that is, until the news about his jailbreak broke.
Nandipha Magudumana is Currently Awaiting Trial Behind Bars
Once officials realized Thabo had faked his death, they began looking into him and Nandipha, resulting in them fleeing not only the city but the country. However, on April 3, 2023, they were eventually arrested in Arusha, Tanzania, shortly following which they were extradited to South Africa to face severe criminal charges. While he was immediately reincarcerated to his life term for rape and murder, his girlfriend tried to fight for bail but was denied over concerns of her being a flight risk. In the end, as of writing, she has been charged with arson, assisting an inmate escape, corruption, defeating the ends of justice, fraud, harbouring and concealing an escaped prisoner, as well as violating a body.
Officials believe Nandipha had a significant role to play in Thabo’s escape and his ensuing actions. As per the documentary series, she was the one who had applied to get him internet and laptop access in prison under the guise of online classes for further studies. This action resulted in him establishing a media and events company called 21st Century Media in 2018, all the while also enabling him to maintain contact with her. Then, according to reports, Nandipha was allegedly the one to secure the stand-in body for her boyfriend so that he could set an escape plan and have the smuggled-in remains set on fire in his cell.
The two had reportedly carefully concocted this plan so as to give off the image that Thabo had died by suicide, which could have been a secret for a long time if Nandipha’s request to get the remains for immediate burial had been granted. Nevertheless, it wasn’t, so she is currently awaiting trial on the many charges against her while detained at the Bizzah Makhate Correctional Centre in Kroonstad in Free State, South Africa. It’s also imperative to note that despite everything, it appears as if Nandipha is still close to Thabo, all the while remaining married to her husband and the father of her 2 daughters, Mkhuseli Magudumana.
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