Another American Watches ‘Beauty and the Bester,’ SA Disowns Duo: “Don’t Know These People”
- Another person from the United States shared that they had watched Netflix's three-part docuseries Beauty and the Bester
- The American woman was beyond shocked to hear Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana's alleged plans to break the former out of prison
- South African internet users once again felt embarrassed and joked about the former couple not being from the country
Source: UGC
After an American man shared his take on the Netflix documentary Beauty and the Bester, a woman, also from the United States, spoke about the chilling three-part special. South Africans, once again, humorously shared their embarrassment, but this time, they also disowned convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana.
Known as Lady L on her TikTok account, the woman shared her thoughts about the docuseries five days after its release, 12 September, 2025. In the clip, Lady L was in disbelief after discovering that Thabo convinced people he set himself alight in his cell and then had assistance from Nandipha to escape.
The self-proclaimed screen queen said to the internet:
"The scams that they were running while this man was fully locked up in a maximum security prison, I just don't understand. The Nigerian prince scams ain't got nothing on them, nothing at all!"
South Africans disown disgraced couple
Several local internet users felt ashamed that Thabo and Nandipha's alleged criminal activities were broadcast around the world. They joked that Thabo (born in Johannesburg) and Nandipha (from Mbizana in the Eastern Cape) weren't from the country and were throwing out different African nationalities for them.
Source: Getty Images
@makhumza23 wrote under the post:
"Nigerians, it’s your time to shine, babes. Your people, Thabo and Nandipha, are yours."
@naddi818 humorously told Lady L:
"As South Africans, we request privacy during this difficult time."
An embarrassed @mpo5225 stated in the comments:
"This is supposed to be our family scandal. Now the whole world is laughing at us."
@mlee909 jokingly claimed:
"Those two are not part of us as South Africans."
@anushhhhhhhhhhh added with humour:
"We don’t know these people, and we don’t know Elon Musk either. We are busy preparing for December, and we don’t have time! We will check later."
@user9306257062909 said to Lady L:
"I guess I'll be the first South African to say thank you for watching one of our insane true crime documentaries. The first time the news came out, we were shocked as a nation. If you want 'something like this,' check out Rosemary Ndlovu, she's worse."
Take a look at the TikTok video below:
Beauty and the Bester is a three-part true crime documentary released on Netflix on 12 September 2025, produced by Storyscope.
It examines the dramatic case of Thabo Bester, who was convicted in 2012 of rape and murder, and the role of Dr Nandipha Magudumana, a well-known aesthetic doctor, in his alleged prison escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in May 2022.
Bester reportedly faked his death in a cell fire, using a decoy body to mislead authorities. After escaping, the two are alleged to have run fraudulent schemes until their capture in Tanzania in 2023.
The documentary includes interviews with victims, journalists, and family members, as well as court footage and archival material. Beauty and the Bester shows how love, deception, power, and justice intertwine in this case. Before the release, Bester and Magudumana attempted to block the airing, arguing defamation and risk to their fair trial rights, but the Gauteng High Court dismissed their urgent applications.
3 Other stories about Beauty and the Bester
- In another article, Briefly News reported that media personality Pearl Thusi emotionally revealed her experience with Thabo, noting that she narrowly escaped death.
- Controversial music executive Nota Baloyi made damning claims about Thabo and a prominent female celebrity. He alleged that the famous woman was arrested at an event and that she had kept the convict's murder weapon.
- After Nandipha and Thabo attempted to block the release of the docuseries, the court heard that Nandipha had a business relationship with Netflix. She allegedly received money for the use of the archive material in Beauty and the Bester.
Updated by Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News.
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Source: Briefly News
