The Pretoria high court is on Thursday set to hear arguments from Thabo Bester and his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana as to why Netflix must be interdicted from airing a documentary on them scheduled to be screened on Friday.
The documentary titled Beauty and the Bester is focused on the life of Bester and Magudumana as well as allegations against them that are subject to an ongoing criminal trial at the Bloemfontein high court.
In his court application, Bester argues that the documentary could compromise the fairness of his upcoming criminal trial. He also claims that the show is riddled with falsehoods and is a character assassination under the guise of a documentary.
In a notice of motion submitted to the court last month, Bester requested that the court find the documentary’s content in violation of his constitutional rights – including the presumption of innocence, the right to a fair trial, and the right to dignity.
He further asked the court to declare the documentary and its content defamatory, and to issue a permanent order preventing Netflix from streaming, promoting, or distributing it.
Bester said he became aware on August 20 that Netflix had posted a trailer on its app and on YouTube advertising the documentary.
Bester is on trial for escaping the Mangaung prison, where he was serving a life sentence for two rapes and murder, with the help of Magudumana. The pair allegedly burnt the body of Katlego Bereng Mpholo and made it seem it was Bester who had died during the 2022 fire at the prison.
Bester and Magudumana – who is married to a fellow doctor and has two children – were apprehended in Arusha, Tanzania in April 2023.
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