It took only 53 words for Tanzanian police to announce the arrest of Thabo Bester, a South African fugitive, and his accomplice, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, on April 8, 2023. The news was already a trending and sensational story in South Africa, across Africa, and around the world. More details about the arrest are now featured in the Netflix mini-series Beauty and the Bester.
Beauty and the Bester is a three-part investigative series released on Friday, September 12, 2025. It explores Bester’s escape from prison, the subsequent manhunt, and the ordeal from the perspectives of Magudumana’s and Bester’s friends and family, law enforcement officials, journalists, and other experts.
Bester and Magudumana attempted to block the release of the series, but a South African court ruled that their application “lacked urgency” and that the material, including details of Bester’s 2012 rape and murder conviction, was already in the public domain.
The final episode of the series focuses on their arrest in Tanzania. An unnamed Tanzanian detective revealed that the operation was straightforward; “like catching a chicken.” According to the series, their car was stopped by Tanzanian detectives, who took them into custody. The arrests followed an unsuccessful manhunt in South Africa.
In their brief 53-word statement on April 8, 2023, Tanzanian police confirmed the arrest of the pair, along with another person, who was later learned to be from Mozambique.
“The Tanzania Police Force would like to provide clarification after various inquiries from people about reports of the arrest of a South African citizen in the country,” the April 8, 2023, Tanzanian police report reads.
“It is true that our detectives have arrested Thabo Bester, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, and Zakaria Alberto, and they are being held by the Police Force. Procedures for completing both domestic and international legal communications are ongoing,” the report concluded.
Thabo Bester, a convicted serial rapist, scammer, and murderer, was confirmed to have escaped from Mangaung Prison in South Africa in March 2023 after investigative outlet GroundUp published a photograph showing him shopping with Dr. Nandipha. It was later confirmed that Bester had escaped in May 2022 through an elaborate plan that involved staging his own death.
The prison cell where Bester had been held caught fire, and a body was found burned beyond recognition. Authorities initially declared Bester dead, until social media reports later surfaced showing that he was living a lavish life with Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, a well-known South African celebrity doctor.
Reports indicate that the plot included Magudumana collecting the charred body from the prison under the pretense that she was Bester’s wife. The couple and their Mozambican accomplice were ultimately arrested near Namanga, at the Tanzania–Kenya border, as they attempted to flee toward Nairobi.
