Thabo Bester

Last year, Nkosinathi Sekeleni exposed Bester's relationship with celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana as the country learnt recently that the convicted rapist ...

[GroundUp](https://www.citizen.co.za/author/groundup-2/), in recent weeks, has published several reports linking Bester to Magudumana after the couple was spotted at a Woolworths in Sandton City nearly two months after he escaped from prison. [Thabo Bester saga: Prison department denies it has autopsy report. [READ MOREDaily news update: SA Tourism-Spurs deal ‘unlawful’, Thabo Bester, and Port St Johns floods](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/daily-news-update-sa-tourism-spurs-deal-thabo-bester-march-2023/) Here it is!](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/thabo-bester-prison-department-denies-autopsy-report-march-2023/) I don’t know where she is,” Sekeleni said. I don’t know how she is doing now, I have not spoken to her in more than a week. “I am always looking over my shoulder because I do not know what is happening. I don’t know which high ranking officials are involved in this [case] and it can come back and bite me,” Sekeleni told [Thabo Bester ran a glamorous media company from prison](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/thabo-bester-ran-a-glamorous-media-company-from-prison/) “We are practically homeless and I am in hiding… [DNA of the body](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/crime/cele-facebook-rapist-dna-march-2023/) found in the cell did not match to Bester, who was convicted in 2012. [confirmed](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/facebook-rapist-thabo-bester-isnt-dead/) on Saturday that Bester had indeed escaped from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein, Free State.

Thabo Bester, the Facebook rapist and fraudster, can be seen on video laughing uncontrollably from his prison cell dressed in a suit while live streaming ...

In the video which captured the launch of the sham company, Bester can be seen on screen, being sung happy birthday to by the crowd as he laughs from his prison cell. The department of correctional services has admitted that a body found in his cell — which was burnt beyond recognition — was not Bester's. [GroundUp](https://www.groundup.org.za/article/thabo-bester-ran-glitzy-multi-million-rand-scam---from-behind-bars/) story that revealed she was the sole director of 21st Century Media — which was behind the sham “Women in Media” conference — which Bester apparently ran as a scam business while imprisoned at the Mangaung correctional centre.

Last year, South African authorities thought convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester had set himself alight in a prison cell and died.

Thabo Bester was serving a life sentence at the privately run Mangaung Correctional Centre for murder and a series of rapes and robberies. Instead, the body showed evidence of blunt-force trauma to his head and no signs of smoke inhalation. Now, they've admitted that he is alive and at large.

Legal analyst, Mpumelelo Zikalala said it's possible Bester could've colluded with prison wardens or other officials to escape prison.

“Kindly take note that the investigation in the matter has reached a very critical stage. Who ought to have done what and who failed and what is it they should have done? “If you look at the Correctional Services Act, for sure there would be a contravention that could take place and definitely they should be held accountable.

Ultimate catfish? Thabo Bester, aka the 'Facebook Rapist' claimed he was related to a billionaire and photoshopped his pics onto this actor's body.

Such information should be provided to the nearest police station or correctional service facility”. Bester -allegedly using the alias Tom Matsepe – told the public that he was based in New York and that he was related to SA billionaire Patrice Motsepe. Through the organisation, Bester organised a conference in September 2018 called the Women In Media, advertising guest speakers like Halle Berry, Taraji P Henson, and Connie Ferguson. This, while he was imprisoned in Magaung Correctional Centre. A year later, he was also convicted of raping and murdering his girlfriend, Nomfundo Tyhulu. ALSO READ:

Popcru said SA spends almost R1 billion annually on two private prisons owned and managed by local consortiums led by multinational British and US ...

“This incident attracted media attention and it was confirmed to various media houses as received from G4S. “According to a report tabled in Parliament in October 2022, by way of contrast, the Department of Correctional Services has a daily budget allowance of R385 to detain, clothe and feed prisoners. This duty should not be delegated to the private sector, because it is motivated by profit. The department further confirmed Bester’s escape from custody on May 3, 2022. Aside from the moral and ethical arguments about prison privatisation, there is ample operational evidence that the policy itself is flawed. Three other officials from the Emergency Security Team (EST) are currently under suspension.”

An autopsy report has revealed that the charred remains found at Mangaung prison, from where 'Facebook rapist' Thabo Bester escaped, showed signs of blunt ...

On Saturday, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said Bester had escaped from prison. In 2012, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for these crimes. This was first reported in an The quest to identify the burnt remains of a body found at Mangaung Correctional Centre after the escape of "Facebook rapist" Thabo Bester is in full swing. An autopsy report revealed that the charred remains found at Mangaung prison, from where "Facebook rapist" Thabo Bester escaped, showed signs of blunt force trauma before the prison caught fire. - The charred remains found at the prison "Facebook rapist" Thabo Bester escaped from showed signs of blunt force trauma sustained before the fire.

Masemola says the detectives from the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences (FCS) and the Organised Crime Investigations (OCI) units in the ...

The autopsy report went on to further reveal that the deceased had died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, and was already dead, prior to the arson incident.” [It was reported that Bester committed suicide by setting himself on fire in his cell in May of last year.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/correctional-services-confirms-thabo-bester-facebook-rapist-is-on-the-loose/) Masemola says this is done in the interest of justice for the victims, survivors, and the affected families.

'I am the real Thabo Bester': a Gauteng fork lifter said after he claimed his identity was 'stolen' by the man known as the 'Facebook Rapist'

After the body was “confiscated” by police for further investigation, Dr Nandi approached a Pretoria High Court. Bester assumed the alias of Tom Matsepe, claiming he was related to SA billionaire Patrice Motsepe. He added: “I feel like a prisoner with this whole thing. I thought I cannot go through this whole mess again. I thought this could not be happening again. “I was very confused about what was happening. The police were coming to my house and my neighbour’s house asking for me.” The same thing happened again in 2018, just before I got out of prison. Speaking to Sunday Times, Thabo Bester’s namesake reflected on the impact of the mistaken identity. ALSO READ: There was no way I could be in two places at once.

On Saturday, the Correctional Services Department released a statement confirming that the body found in Cell 35 at Mangaung Correctional Centre following a ...

The way in which some of the information was leaked became a concern to us. The Mangaung Correctional Centre was maintaining that the person that died there was Thabo Bester. It was clear that there was a number of questions that needed answers.Singabakho Nxumalo, Department of Correction Services spokesperson The investigation started in May 2022 when we received a report that Thabo Bester had committed suicide by setting his cell alight. It is that investigation that took some time because it involved quite a number of elements and entities.Singabakho Nxumalo, Department of Correction Services spokesperson Remember to pass on detailed info: who, what, when, where, why and how? It's a priority for us to get him behind bars as we consider him to be extremely dangerous.Singabakho Nxumalo, Department of Correction Services spokesperson [#Wanted]Convicted murderer and rapist, Thabo Bester. Bester was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for murder and a series of rape charges. On Saturday, the Correctional Services Department released a statement confirming that the body found in Cell 35 at Mangaung Correctional Centre following a fire on 3 May 2022, was not that of Bester. Because this was an unnatural death, it meant that we needed to investigate the circumstances under which that fire started and also to be sure that everything was done as per the standard operating procedures. Jane Dutton spoke to the national spokesperson of the Department of Correction Services, Singabakho Nxumalo, about the daring escape.

Bester was dubbed the Facebook rapist – because he used social media to lure his female victims, before raping and robbing them and even killing one of them. A ...

It’s a major concern when someone of this nature is essentially lost, and the conditions under which he has escaped.” “This is scary, and it is concerning- predominantly because of the space we work in. The department of correctional services as well needs to take account because according to Correctional Services Act 111 of 2018- they are supposed to have with which they monitor these private prisons.”

In a clip which has resurfaced, Nomzamo Mbatha is seen singing to 'Facebook Rapist' Thabo Bester, who posed as a billionaire businessman.

In 2012, a year after his sentencing, Pearl’s meeting with Thabo Bester made headlines. He also claimed that he was related to SA billionaire Patrice Motsepe. Leading ladies Nomzamo Mbatha and Thabile Ngwato were MCs of the glamorous black-tie event. The publication reports that Bester – under an alleged accomplice – registered an event and production company called 21st Century Media in 2018. He even convinced guests that he was related to billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe! And it seems celebs like Nomzamo Mbatha were none the wiser…

Some of the officials contracted to private security company G4S, who worked at Mangaung Correctional Centre when convicted rapist and murderer "Facebook ...

Police chief Masemola pleaded for patience “and that detectives be allowed the space to conduct a thorough investigation.

“I don’t know what dots to connect. “We are practically homeless and I am in hiding… [confirmed Bester was not in custody.](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/facebook-rapist-thabo-bester-isnt-dead/) [gone into hiding](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/thabo-bester-whistleblower-goes-into-hiding/) after receiving numerous threatening phone calls. [General Fannie Masemola](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/sa-police-commissioner-fannie-masemola-security-clearance/) said on Sunday authorities would be “looking into the leaking of sensitive and confidential information to media houses” following a discovery that [Thabo Bester](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/facebook-rapist-thabo-bester-isnt-dead/) was indeed missing from custody. [Thabo Bester saga: ‘wife’ abandons rented mansion](https://www.citizen.co.za/news/thabo-bester-saga-wife-abandons-rented-mansion/)

The case was opened after the body of the man previously thought to be Bester was found to have died from blunt force trauma before his body was burnt in ...

However, it said that recent information revealed that the body found in the gutted cell was not that of Bester and it did not match the DNA of a woman believed to be his mother. [confirmed that Bester escaped from the Mangaung Prison in May 2022](https://ewn.co.za/2023/03/25/thabo-bester-did-not-die-in-a-fire-but-escaped-from-prison-confirms-dcs). The case was opened after the body of the man previously thought to be Bester was found to have died from blunt force trauma before his body was burnt in the Facebook Rapist's prison cell in May 2022.

The escape of rapist and murderer Thabo Bester has raised the possibility of corruption within Correctional Services departments and facilities.

"We are quite shocked by the incidents. [Thabo Bester