A South African rapist, Thabo Bester, has lost his bid in court to block Netflix from broadcasting a documentary about his life, which includes shocking details of how he allegedly faked his death and escaped from prison.
His legal team contended that the film, titled 'Beauty and the Bester', would be defamatory; however, Netflix defended its release of the three-part documentary, which also features Bester's partner, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, accused of aiding his escape.
The ruling came from Judge Sulet Potterill, who noted that the rape case was already prominent in the public eye and that Bester and Magudumana failed to demonstrate any urgency in their application to halt the documentary's release.
Despite the setback, it was clarified by the court that the pair could still pursue a defamation lawsuit post-broadcast. The documentary is set to release later today.
Bester, often referred to as the Facebook rapist, was convicted in 2012 of the rape and murder of model Nomfundo Tyhulu, following previous convictions for raping and robbing two other women. He was serving a life sentence when he escaped from a maximum-security prison in 2022.
A fire incident at the prison led to the discovery of what was believed to be Bester's body; however, it turned out to be another individual’s remains. For a year, Bester allegedly lived under a false identity in Johannesburg, aided by Magudumana, until their arrest in Tanzania in April 2023. They now face multiple charges, including violating a corpse and fraud.
The case vocally highlighted issues surrounding media freedom and crime in South Africa. As the documentary awaits its debut, public interest continues to swell around Bester's notorious history and legal future.
