The Gauteng High Court will deliver its judgement on Friday morning on an urgent interdict filed by convicted criminal Thabo Bester and his former partner, Nandipha Magudumana, to halt the broadcast of Netflix’s documentary Beauty and the Beast.
The judgement will come minutes before the streaming platform is expected to release the three-part series about the former couple’s criminal spree.
The duo are facing charges of orchestrating Bester’s 2022 prison escape, defrauding the public, and violating multiple bodies. The couple fled the country in early 2023 and were later detained in Tanzania before being repatriated to South Africa.
Their trial is set to begin on 10 November at the Bloemfontein High Court.
ELEVENTH HOUR JUDGEMENT FOR THABO BESTER HIGH COURT BID
On Thursday, 11 September, the Gauteng High Court heard an urgent interdict bid by the legal representative of Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana.
Their bid was to halt the broadcast of Netflix’s Beauty and the Bester, which is set to air the next day [Friday]. Bester, in particular, believes the production infringes on their right to a fair trial and is “riddled with falsehoods”.
In his application, he found fault with the production framing him as “guilty” over the 2023 prison escape and framing his death, despite not yet being convicted.
Bester also condemned the title of the Netflix documentary.
His advocate, MoAfrika Wa Maila, told the court: “We know the phrase Beauty and the Beast from one of the old movies.
“Now, the beast no longer exists. The beast has been replaced by Bester,” he said.
A judgement is expected on Friday at 08:30, just half an hour before Beauty and the Bester is released at 09:00.
NETFLIX: NANDIPHA WAS PAID FOR INVOLVEMENT
Meanwhile, the court also heard that Nandipha Magudumana had a contractual agreement with Netflix, in which she was paid to provide her personal archives.
According to her legal representative, advocate Lerato Moela, Nandipha had requested a review of Beauty and the Bester to give her input, as per her contract. However, Netflix has claimed that Nadipha waived her right to interdict the documentary as per the agreement’s clauses.
Netflix’s refusal to engage with Nandipha on her concerns led to the legal bid.
Images via YouTube screenshot
Meanwhile, Netflix’s advocate Temba Ngcukaitobi stated that Nandipha had agreed to take part in the documentary. However, she stated that Nandipha’s condition would be that she receive the final payment under the agreement.
Ngcukaitobi said: “It is obviously a factor that it [Netflix] has made a commercial investment in the production of the documentary, and it has done so with the knowledge and participation of Ms Magudumana in circumstances where she was paid for the use of her archive material.
“It is, therefore, unacceptable for her at the last minute to turn around and say ‘I don’t know what you were doing’.”
DO YOU THINK THAT THABO BESTER AND NANDIPHA MAGUDUMA HAVE A RIGHT TO HALT THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
