Thabo Bester is a 38-year-old South African man who became notorious for his crimes of rape, murder, and prison break. He was convicted of raping two models and killing Nomfundo Tiyhulu, his former girlfriend. He earned the nickname Facebook rapist because he used the social media platform to lure his victims. He also managed to escape from prison by faking his death in a fake fire accident in his cell in May 2022. He was later captured in Arusha, Tanzania in April 2023.
His case shocked and outraged many people, who wanted him to face justice for his heinous acts. Here is what we discovered about Thabo Bester’s case.
Bester was Raised by his Grandmother from the Age of 1
Thabo Bester’s birth was a mystery that puzzled many people. He was born on June 13, 1986, in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a single mother named Maria Mabaso. But he was never registered as a South African citizen by the Department of Home Affairs. He had no identity document or proof of his nationality.
It was only on May 22, 2023, that he finally got his official papers, thanks to the intervention of Aaron Motsoaledi, the former South African home minister. Motsoaledi confirmed that Bester was born at Chris Hani Bragwanath Hospital, but his mother never registered him on the National Population Register.
His childhood was also a mystery that haunted him. He was only one year old when his mother left him with her mother. She wanted to pursue her own life and career, and she rarely visited him. As a result, his mother and grandmother had a lot of problems and conflicts, and they never reconciled.
He grew up with his grandmother, who loved him and cared for him. When she fell ill and died in his teenage years, he lost his only family and home. He wandered around the streets, looking for his mother, but he could not find her, and neither could she.
He Went Into a Life of Crime as a Teenager
During his adolescence, Bester, largely unsupervised, fell into a life of crime that frequently involved swindling. He was known to use a variety of aliases, such as Tom Motsepe, TK Nkwana, Katlego Tom Motsepe Nkwana, and William Kelly.
At the tender age of 19, he was convicted of fraud and sentenced to two years in prison. Despite being granted parole, he did not seize the opportunity to reform and soon returned to his criminal activities.
He began by enticing women on Facebook, a tactic that led to the rape of two models. Tragically, he also took the life of his girlfriend, Nomfundo Tiyhulu. Like his previous victims, Nomfundo was a model. He claimed her death was unintentional and admitted to being responsible for her demise but denied intentionally killing her.
To understand this situation more clearly, let’s break it down. The lovers reportedly traveled to Sunset Beach, where they rented a room at a bed and breakfast. During their stay, he alleges that an argument ensued, during which a knife was introduced.
A struggle over the weapon resulted in her being stabbed. He maintains that he had no intention of killing her, arguing that if he had planned to commit murder, he would have chosen a more secluded location.
While the details of their initial meeting remain unknown, one fact is undeniable: the death of his girlfriend marked a new and more severe phase in his criminal behavior.
Unsurprisingly, he was apprehended and subsequently pleaded guilty to the rapes in 2011 and the murder in 2012. As a result of his actions, he was held accountable and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Mangaung Correctional Centre, a private security prison operated by G4S.
Bester Continued to Commit Crimes from Inside the Prison
Despite his incarceration, Bester, a notorious con artist, didn’t cease his criminal activities. He cunningly established 21st Century Media, a sham media and events company, during his prison term. Ingeniously, he linked it to the renowned 21st Century Fox. To lend credibility to the operation, he appointed Phumudzo Thenga as the company’s sole director. The plot thickens as Bester reportedly manages his company via text messages.
In a bold move in 2018, his company claimed American actresses Taraji P. Henson and Halle Berry as guest speakers for one of its media events. However, both Henson and Berry denied any association with this information on Twitter which is now known as X. Despite being exposed, he began plotting his escape from prison.
He Faked His Death to Escape from Prison
News broke on May 3, 2022, that Bester had tragically passed away. The details revealed that he perished in a prison cell fire, leaving a body so severely burnt it was unrecognizable. The Department for Correctional Services ruled his death a suicide, but this explanation was met with skepticism. By October 2022, investigative reports began to circulate.
Marecia Damons, reporting for the South African News Agency GroundUp, was the first to cast doubt on the prison’s account of events. Subsequent reports from the same agency suggested that the post-mortem results of the body found in the cell indicated a time of death prior to the fire. This raised questions about the identity of the deceased. It was later revealed that a murder investigation had been underway before the fire broke out. Armed with this new information, Marecia collaborated with Daniel Steyn for her third report.
The last report made it clear that Bester had faked his death and had also been working with a close accomplice named Dr. Nandipha Magudumana. Maguduma worked as a celebrity doctor and from court records, she claimed to be Bester’s customary law wife. While this explains their relationship, the investigation also revealed that the celebrity doctor had demanded the body found in the cell be returned to her.
Considering all this evidence, in March 2023, the Department for Correctional Services finally agreed that indeed, Bester had escaped from prison.
The Body Found in Thabo Bester’s Prison Cell was Identified as Katlego Bereng Mpholo
Although the body used to stage Bester’s death was charred beyond recognition, DNA testing later identified it as Katlego Bereng Mpholo, matching the DNA of his mother. Reports indicate that Katlego had been missing since April 2022, and considering Bester’s prison cell fire occurred in May 2022, it’s plausible to connect these two incidents.
Upon identification, it became clear that Bester’s escape was meticulously orchestrated. Batho Mpholo, the deceased’s father, stated that police initially informed him that his son had collapsed in Bloemfontein City and subsequently died. His body was reportedly taken to the mortuary. However, further investigation revealed that Katlego’s cause of death was a blunt-force trauma to the head.
See Also: Rosemary Ndlovu: 7 Facts About Alleged South Africa’s Killer Ex-Cop
How the Facebook Rapist was Rearrested
In the wake of numerous reports surrounding Bester’s fabricated death, it became clear that the police were under pressure to apprehend him and return him to custody. The urgency of the situation led a private security firm, Fidelity, to offer a reward of R100,000 on Facebook to anyone who could provide information leading to his arrest.
However, Bester managed to evade public scrutiny and no one came forward with information. During this period, he resided in a rented apartment in Hyde Park with his main accomplice, the celebrity doctor Magudumana. To maintain his anonymity, he reverted to his old habit of using aliases, adopting the name TK Nkwana.
True to his entrepreneurial spirit, he established Arum Properties, a fraudulent company. He persuaded individuals to make deposits for construction projects which, given the company’s illegitimate nature, were never completed. The funds collected were used to finance his escape to another country.
Fortunately, authorities were able to locate Bester and Magudumana in Arusha, Tanzania, and they were apprehended on April 8, 2023. At the time of their arrest, they were in possession of numerous passports belonging to various individuals. He attempted to resist arrest and implored the police not to harm him. Magudumana, who was found wearing a veil, cooperated with the police.
Following their arrest, the Tanzanian government promptly deported them. In this instance, eight additional individuals were charged in relation to Bester’s escape. New charges were filed, making them the focus of court proceedings. Both Bester and Magudumana applied for bail in September 2023 but their applications were denied.
