Who is Nandipha Magudumana, and why did she aid Thabo Bester?
Nandipha Magudumana is a Johannesburg-based South African medical doctor specializing in aesthetics. She is one of the most accomplished young female doctors in the country, but her reputation is on the line, and she faces jail time due to her involvement with convicted felon Thabo Bester. Find out how a respected doctor turned into a fugitive.
Source: UGC
Nandipha and Thabo Bester have known each other since 2006, when the doctor was still studying at Wits University. They lost contact in 2011, after which the physician married and had children while Bester was imprisoned for life on sexual assault and murder charges. Magudumana started visiting him in prison around 2017, and they rekindled their relationship, which resulted in Nandipha putting her accomplishments at risk.
Nandipha Magudumana's profiles summary and bio
| Full name | Nandipha (nee Sekeleni) Magudumana |
| Year of birth | 1989 |
| Age | About 34 years in 2023 |
| Place of birth | Bizana, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Gender | Female |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Marital status | Separated |
| Ex-husband | Dr Mkhuseli Magudumana |
| Boyfriend | Thabo Bester |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Father | Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni |
| Brother | Nathi Sekeleni |
| Education | University of the Witwatersrand (MBChB and BHSc) |
| Profession | Medical doctor |
| Social media | TwitterPersonal InstagramWork Instagram |
Who is Nandipha Magudumana?
She is a medical doctor specializing in aesthetics, including plastic surgery, dermatology, and pharmaceuticals. Between 2014 and 2015, she worked at Edenvale Hospital and later landed a job at the Far East Rand Hospital.
In 2017, she founded Optimum Medical Aesthetics Solutions, an aesthetic and skincare clinic in Morningside, Sandton, Johannesburg. The clinic offers non-surgical treatments. Nandipha Magudumana's occupation was expanding, and she had gained several celebrity clients, including Zozibini Tunzi.
In 2018, she was featured on the Mail & Guardian's 200 Young South Africans list and was among the Top 20 Most Influential Young South Africans. She was also listed on the SADC Top 100 Young Leaders.
Nandipha Magudumana's qualifications
Magudumana holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) in Biomedical Sciences from the University of the Witwatersrand. She also obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from Wits University. She is an alumnus of Port Edward Primary School and Port Shepstone High School.
Source: UGC
Nandipha Magudumana's age
She was born in 1989, but her exact date of birth is unknown. She is about 34 years old in 2023. Her father is Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, but details about her mother are unavailable. Magudumana has a brother called Nathi Sekeleni.
Nandipha Magudumana's place of birth
The aesthetics physician was born in an Eastern Cape village called Bizana. The family later moved to Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal, where she was raised.
Nandipha Magudumana's husband
Nandipha tied the knot with Dr Mkhuseli Magudumana in 2013, and they have two daughters. It is unclear when the two separated, but Nandipha started reconnecting with an imprisoned Thabo Bester around 2016. She first met Thabo in 2006 while studying at Wits University and even promoted his modelling agency. The two got engaged in 2020 while Bester was still in prison.
Source: UGC
Nandipha Magudumana's Instagram
The physician is active across various social media platforms. Her personal Instagram, @drnandipha, has over 139,000 followers as of 11 April 2023, including celebrities like Gabrielle Union, Minnie Dlamini, and Connie Ferguson. Her professional Instagram account, @optimum_med, has over 20.9 thousand followers.
Nandipha Magudumana's arrest
Nandipha Magudumana and Thabo Bester were arrested on 7th April 2023 while on the run in Tanzania. They had several passports with different identities. The doctor was apprehended while travelling under the moniker Martha Patience Mmerika Ntashani, who is a real anaesthetist based in Pretoria, South Africa.
Thabo was travelling under the name of an American citizen called Tommy William Kelly and had multiple other identities. The couple was being assisted by Zakaria Alberto, a Mozambican citizen, who was also apprehended.
The couple allegedly moved from Johannesburg to Bulawayo and then to Zambia before going to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. They were arrested while in Arusha, Tanzania and were believed to be heading to Kenya. The fugitives are expected to be brought back to South Africa.
Source: UGC
What did Nandipha Magudumana do?
Dr Magudumana allegedly helped Thabo Bester escape prison in May 2022 by stealing three bodies from mortuaries in the Free State. Bester was initially pronounced dead by suicide after setting himself on fire in his prison cell at Mangaung Correctional Centre. However, further investigations revealed the body found in the cell was not his, and the individual had already died when the cell burnt down.
According to KayaFM, Thabo and Dr Nandipha started living together at her Hyde Park mansion and were spotted in June 2022 in Sandton City. When Groundup reported on 16th March 2023 that the two had been seen together, they fled on 21st March, and the doctor announced via Instagram that her clinic would be open for business from 29th March. Her father later confirmed to eNCA that her daughter was in hiding.
Nandipha Magudumana's father, 65-year-old Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, was arrested on Friday, 7th April 2023, at his home in Port Edward. Former prison warden Senohe Matsoara was also arrested on Saturday, 8th April 2023, in Bloemfontein.
During an interview with eNCA, Nandipha's brother Nathi Sekeleni revealed that Thabo Bester had threatened to kill him multiple times when he discovered his true identity. In a now-deleted 2011 Facebook post, Nathi had accused Nandipha of being involved with a criminal who funded her events.
Nandipha Magudumana seemed to have it all figured out and was thriving in the medical field. Her achievements have been an inspiration to many young ladies, but her future is now shaky as her elaborate plan to help her convicted boyfriend escape prison fails.
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Source: Briefly News
