An emotional Pearl Thusi will break her silence on her link to convicted rapist, murderer, and fraudster Thabo Bester in Netflix’s upcoming docuseries Beauty and The Bester.
More than a decade ago, the actress and TV personality survived an attack by the man infamously dubbed the “Facebook Rapist”.
Bester and his co-accused, Nandipha Magudumana, are currently facing charges of his 2022 prison escape, defrauding the public, and violating multiple bodies. Their trial is set to begin on 10 November at the Bloemfontein High Court.
PEARL THUSI APPEARS EMOTIONAL IN NETFLIX TRAILER
Last week, Netflix dropped the trailer of Beauty and The Bester, which delves into the relationship and criminal spree of Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana.
The three-part series is set to air on 12 September. It features never-before-seen investigative material and exclusive interviews, including one with Nandipha’s father, Zolile Sekeleni, who is also facing criminal charges alongside the duo.
Another interview shows actress and TV personality Pearl Thusi emotionally talking about her brush with Thabo Bester. Another high-profile face – radio personality Penny Lebyane – also spoke about frequenting Nandipha’s celebrity aesthetics clinic in Sandton.
After aiding Bester’s 2022 prison escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre, Nandipha harbored the fugitive in her Hyde Park mansion. The couple later fled the country, and they were arrested in Tanzania in 2023.
SURVIVING THABO BESTER
In 2012, after his sentencing for the murder of his girlfriend Nomfundo Tiyhulu and the rapes of multiple women, Pearl Thusi’s account of meeting Thabo Bester made headlines.
In a police affidavit shown to Sunday World, the star revealed how she had survived an attack by the convicted offender.
The statement – dated 3 July 2012- Pearl revealed that she “negotiated” with Bester, who was in her car. The actress revealed that while the man had taken her two cell phones, she begged him not to take her laptop, which contained her daughter’s photos. She said, “I offered him help that would be better than stealing.
Images via X
“I asked him why he didn’t build a better future. I offered him counselling at my church. I don’t remember exactly when he gave me a knife or threw it at the back of my car.”
Pearl then claims she introduced Thabo Bester to Kabelo Mabalane, a muso-turned-preacher.
She continued: “I also collected a Bible and wrote a message in it and gave it to him. I drove to Sandton; at Kabelo Mabalane’s house”.
Pearl revealed she had a lucky escape from the man dubbed the “Facebook Rapist,” who eventually let her go.
She added in her statement: “I later learned from social networks and papers about rapes and murders and that he’d been locked up.”
DO YOU THINK PEARL THUSI IS ONE OF MANY FEMALE CELEBS WHO ENGAGED WITH THABO BESTER?
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