A Cape Town beauty salon owner has revealed that convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester and his fugitive girlfriend, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, hired him to recruit girls for their modeling agency in November 2022. Speaking exclusively to Independent Media, the beauty therapist, trading under the name “Taffy Tally Marz,” revealed that Bester and Magudumana paid him handsomely for recruiting “beautiful girls” for their modeling agency, known as “imedia.”
Marz stated that he was not aware of who Bester was when he was hired by the couple. Bester had come to his salon for a haircut, and they started chatting on WhatsApp. Bester invited Marz for lunch at the Silo Hotel, where he told him about his business ventures, including property development and media-related work. Bester started coming to Marz’s salon twice a week for hair plaiting. Three weeks later, Bester indicated he would bring his wife and some of Dr. Nandipha’s cousins, whom he introduced to Marz.
Marz did their nails but had questions about Dr. Nandipha because he knew her from social media and knew she was married. However, he decided to keep it to himself as he does not get involved in other people’s private lives. Marz revealed that he became close to Dr. Nandipha and would often go out for lunch with her and the kids, but he did not suspect anything untoward.
Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha
Bester and Magudumana owned a modeling agency called Eye Model Management, and they asked Marz to work for them recruiting girls. Marz was paid a lot of money for his services. He recruited girls as per the specific criteria given to him and sent them pictures, setting up a meeting for Bester with the models. He attended more than five meetings with Bester and the models.
In December 2022, Bester informed Marz that a model from Johannesburg would fly down to Cape Town, and Marz was sent money to arrange all the logistics. He booked her at the Capital Hotel and made her comfortable, as instructed by Bester. Before the model arrived, Dr. Nandipha, Bester, and another girl discussed everything about the model in a conference call.
Marz provided Independent Media with WhatsApp messages where he was directly in contact with Bester and provided pictures and details of the models. Bester, known as the “Facebook rapist,” successfully staged a prison break from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein in May 2022. He faked his suicide by setting another person’s body alight in his cell. Magudumana is now facing charges of murder, fraud, aiding and abetting Bester’s prison break, arson, and defeating the ends of justice.
On Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi briefed members of the portfolio committee on matters related to Bester’s identity and return to South Africa last week. Motsoaledi revealed that while a sample of Bester’s DNA was taken ahead of his rape and murder trial in 2011, it was never tested. The minister confirmed that Bester has no identity number and has never been issued a passport.