Inside Thabo Bester’s Hyde Park mansion.
Images via Showmax/ Instagram: @drnandi
Prison to palace: Inside Thabo Bester’s R12m Hyde Park mansion [photos]
Thabo Bester swapped his corner prison cell to live with girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana in their Hyde Park palace.
Inside Thabo Bester’s Hyde Park mansion.
Images via Showmax/ Instagram: @drnandi
Despite both coming from humble beginnings, both Thabo Bester and his co-accused Nandipha Magudumana lived in the lap of luxury in their R12 million Hyde Park mansion.
Just months before he moved into the same leafy suburb as President Cyril Ramaphosa, Bester was serving a life sentence at the Mangaung Correctional Centre.
With the help of his celebrity doctor girlfriend, the man known as the Facebook Rapist planned an elaborate escape, as documented in Showmax’s Tracking Thabo Bester.
Bester and Nandipha are currently awaiting their pre-trial in the Free State Court. Along with seven others, the duo are facing charges of assisting Bester’s prison escape, fraud, corruption, and violating multiple bodies.
‘I WON’T BE HERE FOR LONG’
In the first installment of Tracking Thabo Bester, the convicted rapist, murderer, and fraudster reportedly told a fellow inmate that he didnt plan on being locked up for too long.
In 2012, Bester was sentenced to life for the rape of two models and the murder of his girlfriend, Nomfundo Tiyhulu.
The anonymous whistleblower said of Bester in a recorded phone call: “He was a happy man. When I asked him why he was happy, he said, ‘I’ll be gone soon'”.
With the help of officials, Bester moved into cell 35, a corner cell slightly obscured on camera. There, he conducted his various fraudulent businesses, including the 21st Century Media group.
On 3 May 2022, Bester led authorities to believe he had died in his cell in a mysterious fire. Instead, he and his co-conspirators had placed the dead body of Katlego Bereng in the cell and escaped through the back door.
GroundUp broke the story later that year following multiple tipoffs. However, the news would only be confirmed by the Department of Correctional Services in 2023, when Bester and Nandipha Magudumana went on the run.
They were nabbed by authorities while travelling in Tanzania in April 2023.
THABO BESTER: FROM PRISON TO PALACE
After escaping, Thabo Bester moved in with Nandipha Magudumana in her Hyde Park mansion.
The alleged couple also lived with Nandipha’s two daughters, whom she shares with her legally married husband, Vuyo Magudumana.
Bester used various aliases at the time, including TK Nkwana.
TimesLive reports that the luxury home boasts the following specs.
- All white trimmings, furnished with high ceiling, oversized windows, and skylights
- A designer kitchen fitted with marble countertops and floors
- Four bedrooms, each with en-suite bathrooms
- A pool, tennis court, and entertainment room
- Three garages
Meanwhile, eNCA also visited the house, where they posted a video of what they found.
Take a look….
According to eNCA’s Silindelo Masikane, Thabo Bester and Nandipha had rented multiple properties from the property developer, many of which were for commercial use.
The property developer, who refused to be identified, also claims they met Bester – or TK Nkwana – in August 2022. According to the property developer, Nandipha owes R800 000 in unpaid rent.
On her Instagram account, the celebrity aesthetics doctor also shared pics of her lavish home.
Take a look…
