American Stunned After Watching ‘Beauty and the Bester,’ SA Ashamed: “Our Family Secret Is Out”

• Netflix South Africa finally released the highly anticipated docuseries, Beauty and the Bester, which looks at Dr Nandipha Magudumana's involvement in Thabo Bester's prison escape
• The three-part special reached American television screens and had one man from the United States sharing his thoughts about the programme
• South African social media users joked that they were embarrassed that people on the other side of the world knew about their country's drama

After Netflix South Africa announced the arrival of the docuseries Beauty and the Bester, many rushed to their screens to watch the special. One viewer included a man all the way from the United States, who shared his thoughts about the shocking case.

The American man, known as @boujeebrownskin, took to his TikTok account after the docuseries was released on 12 September 2025. The story follows the infamous former South African couple: convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, and disgraced doctor Nandipha Magudumana, who went to extreme lengths to smuggle Thabo out of prison.

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Giving a rundown of the three-part special, the content creator said:

"The drama in South Africa is hot! When I thought I knew what was about to happen, I was quickly bamboozled because something else happened that I didn't think was going to happen. I really implore everybody to watch it."

South Africans react to American viewer

The video attracted thousands of social media users, particularly those from South Africa, to the comment section. South African social media users joked about their embarrassment that people from the other side of the world were aware of their country’s drama.

@nilacaladd stated to South Africans:

"Our family secret is out."

@miss_molebo said to the American:

"As South Africans, we promise it’s not like this every day. We are all still shook! Please don’t let this taint the beautiful image you have of us."

@hlubi7094 remarked under the post:

"You even forgot to mention that she was doing this while married with kids and got her father involved in this mess. Now she and the father are facing the law."

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@sloophaho wrote in the comment section:

"This is the top five most embarrassing stories to leave our borders."

@nonhleberyl shared their opinion about the Netflix special:

"Mind you, a lot of details were left out by Netflix. The docuseries really downplayed the whole situation. You guys should’ve witnessed the whole thing play out in real life. It was diabolical! Truly mindblowing."

@sibahlemuthwa added in the comments:

"Now I understand that the intended audience was not South Africans because it was so boring for us. They didn’t present any information we didn’t already know, but I guess it’s all new to international audiences."

Take a look at the TikTok video below:

Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana have become one of South Africa’s most infamous duos. Bester, known as the “Facebook Rapist,” was convicted of rape and murder in 2012 and later sentenced to life in prison.

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In 2022, he staged a dramatic escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre by faking his own death in a fire, sparking nationwide shock. Investigations revealed that Dr Magudumana, a respected medical doctor and businesswoman, allegedly helped him pull off the escape.

She was accused of retrieving the body used in the hoax and later went on the run with him. The pair were eventually arrested in Tanzania in 2023 and brought back to South Africa, where they face multiple charges, including fraud and aiding an escape.

3 Other stories about Beauty and the Bester

• In another article, Briefly News reported that Nandipha and Thabo criticised Netflix for airing the docuseries without their consent and filed an urgent application on 26 August 2025 to stop the show.
• In a ruling delivered on 12 September 2025, the Pretoria High Court dismissed the bid to block Beauty and the Bester. Judge Sulet Potterill reminded Thabo and Nandipha that they could sue Netflix for defamation afterwards.
• According to reports, Nandipha signed a contract with the production company behind the docuseries and was paid an undisclosed amount of money for the use of archival materials.

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Updated by Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News