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Netflix releases first look at new three-part docco series Beauty and the Bester, about the infamous Dr Nandipha Magudumana and her "entanglement" with convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester. Includes perspectives from Pearl Thusi and Penny Lebyane who share their experiences of meeting them. Premieres 12 September. >>

TVSA Team
20 Aug 2025 16:50

The synopsis and trailer:

Once hailed as a successful businesswoman and social media influencer with a picture-perfect life, Nandipha’s carefully-curated image started unraveling when suspicions about her role in Bester’s elaborate prison escape and double life came to light.

The series dives into the events that shook South Africa in late 2023, leading to the question that continues to baffle the public: how did such an admired women land at the centre of one of the country’s biggest criminal scandals?

The series traces the unbelievable chain of events that turned Nandipha’s life into a front-page scandal.

From staged celebrity conferences and lavish living to the shocking escape of Thabo Bester from Mangaung Maximum Security Prison, it all began to unravel with one viral photo.

It showed the pair casually shopping at Sandton City, sparking a nationwide manhunt that ended with their dramatic arrest in Tanzania and extradition back to South Africa in handcuffs.

The series features courtroom footage and never-before-seen investigative material that peel back the layers of a story where love, manipulation, and corruption collide, culminating in a jaw-dropping incident that stunned the world.

Friends and family open up in exclusive interviews, each trying to make sense of the strange and unsettling bond between a respected doctor and her convicted criminal partner, Bester.

Director: Anthony Molyneaux

Executive producers: Neil Brandt, Laura Colucci and Thandi Davids.