He was in the company of five models when he visited her salon.

It was one of the many occasions that police missed an opportunity to stop Bester in his tracks.

 

“It’s not a day I can easily forget as everything about that day was so dramatic. Even the staff remember it like it had just happened. A conman tried to trick us into doing five girls’ hair without paying a cent.

“He earlier called from the Commodore Hotel at the V&A Waterfront where he was staying with some models who he wanted to bring to the salon.”

Bester, who had introduced himself as “Thomas K Bester, CEO of TV channel MTV Base”, soon walked into the upmarket African Hair Kingdom.

“I remember when they walked in, we were stunned by their looks. Bester was a very charming, well-spoken and handsome guy … everyone gushed about his looks. He gave me his business card with the name Thomas K Bester on it.”

She said trouble began when it was now time to settle the bill.

“We hadn’t discussed the final bill or exchanged bank account details … yet he was ready to pay me via EFT. I became more curious and started searching for his name on Google, but the only Thomas K Bester that came up on internet search was a white man.”

When Bester finally showed up just before closing time, he threw a tantrum and told Xhotyeni he didn’t have money to pay as his wallet was with his lost luggage.

“This man who was initially calm and charming now looked so agitated and was pacing up and down … he even suggested that I call cops on him when I demanded payment.”

The rest of the bill was eventually paid through contributions from the women and a taxi driver.