Thabo Bester’s story caught the world’s attention. Bester, a South African convicted criminal, escaped prison after faking his death. In a shocking twist of events, the authorities discovered Nandipha Magudumana, a seasoned medical doctor, helped him to escape.
Nandipha Magudumana helped plot one of South Africa’s biggest prison escapes. The professional medical doctor is the founder and chief executive officer of Optimum Medical Aesthetics, a skincare and wellness brand.
Nandipha Magudumana: Meet the Doctor who plotted Thabo Bester’s escape
In 2018, Dr Nandipha Magudumana was named among SADC’s Top100 Young Leaders. She was also listed among the top 20 most influential young South Africans. Her career trajectory was quite impressive until she got involved with a criminal.
The medical doctor’s father is Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni. She has a look-alike sister and a brother named Nkosinathi Sekeleni. She and her siblings were raised in Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal.
WHERE DID DR NANDIPHA STUDY?
The medical doctor is an alumna of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She pursued a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) in Biomedical Sciences.
She also obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the same institution. Before joining the institution, she attended Port Edward Primary School and Port Shepstone High School for her basic education.
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CAREER
After completing her studies, Dr Nandipha Magudumana went into practice as a medical doctor. She worked at Edenvale Hospital from 2014 to 2015. She then secured a job at Far East Rand Hospital. She specialised in aesthetics and became one of the sought-after doctors dealing with dermatology, plastic surgery, and pharmaceuticals.
In 2017, she made a bold career move when she founded Optimum Medical Aesthetics Solutions. She is the clinic’s chief executive officer. The clinic is based in Morningside, Sandton, Johannesburg, and it offers non-surgical skin care and aesthetic solutions. She has worked with multiple high-end clients, including Zozibini Tunzi.
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WHO IS THE HUSBAND OF DR NANDIPHA?
Dr Mkhuseli Magudumana was Nandipha Magudumana’s husband, but the two are now divorced. She and Dr Mkhuseli tied the knot in 2013 and were blessed with two daughters named Aziza And Ayana. It remains unclear when Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s divorce was finalised.Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s story hit the headlines after officials discovered she had helped Thabo Betser escape prison. She and Bester first met at Wits University as students in 2006. At one point, she promoted his modelling agency.
Betser is a convicted criminal who was involved in multiple criminal activities, including luring girls online and exploiting them . Dr Nandipha and Bester reconnected in 2016 and started a relationship. The two got engaged in 2020 when Bester was serving his term at Mangaung Correctional Centre.
Nandipha Magudumana was arrested on 7th April 2023 alongside Bester. The arrest took place in Tanzania after the two were caught in possession of fake travel documents. She was using the name Martha Patience Mmerika Ntashani, while he was using Tommy William Kelly. They were on the run after Bester successfully escaped from prison.
The medical doctor assisted the convicted criminal to escape from prison. She stole three bodies from morgues in the Free State. The two plotted to smuggle a body inside his prison cell and set it alight. He faked his death and walked out of the prison disguised in a G4S uniform.
Initial reports at Mangaung Correctional Centre showed that Bester died of suicide after setting his cell on fire. The authorities later discovered that the body was not his and that a dead body had been placed in his cell before the fire incident. They launched a manhunt to find him and Dr Nandipha.
BAIL DENIED
On Monday, 11th September 2023, Nandipha Magudumana was denied bail. Magistrate Estelle de Lange of the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court said she was a flight risk. Nine of her co-accused have already been released on bail.
The doctor is facing five legal offences, and her team is working to have them reduced to one. She is currently held in the hospital wing of the Kroonstad Correctional Centre in Free State as the authorities conduct further investigations. She is in a highly secure section to allow monitoring at all times because she is a high-profile offender.
Until recently, Dr Nandipha Magudumana was one of the sought-after aesthetic medical doctors in South Africa. Her life went downward after she helped Thabo Bester, a convicted criminal, escape prison.