Magudumana, SA celebrity doctor behind Thabo Bester’s jail escape

South African celebrity medical doctor Nandipha Magudumana has been making headlines due to her involvement in the Thabo Bester saga.

Dr. Magudumana is facing charges of murder and aiding the convicted rapist and murderer Bester’s escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein last May.

But who is Dr. Magudumana?

Before the scandal, Magudumana was adored by many and acknowledged as a celebrity doctor in South Africa.

Born in Bizana, a small town in the Eastern Cape, in 1989, she dreamed of being a doctor from age six. In her teen years, Dr. Magudumana moved to KwaZulu-Natal in Port Edward, where her mother raised her.

She attended Port Edward Primary School and then went to Port Shepstone High School.

Shortly after finishing high school, Dr. Magudumana began her tertiary journey in Johannesburg, enrolling at Wits University.

After several years of studying, she obtained a BSc in Health Sciences from the university. She went on to study medicine at Wits, where she got a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 2013.

Married

She got married to Dr. Mkhuseli Magudumana the same year. But the current status of their relationship is unknown.

It did not take long for Dr. Magudumana to find employment at Edenvale Hospital where she worked between 2014 and 2015 before moving to the Far East Rand Hospital in 2016.

The following year, she opened Optimum Medical Solutions in Morningside, Sandton. The skincare and aesthetic clinic specialises in non-surgical treatments.

The doctor also founded another business named VitaPush and co-owns Arum Holdings, which deals with healthcare consultancy and IT services.

Lavish lifestyle

Known for her lavish lifestyle, luxury mansions and cars, the famous doctor was on the Mail & Guardian 200 Young SA, SADC Top 100 Young Leaders 2018, and Top 20 Most Influential Young South Africans 2018.

She was known for keeping her social media followers updated on events in her life. Not too long ago, she posted video clips of her lavish birthday celebrations and that of her two daughters, attended by her celebrity friends.

With a successful life, many are wondering when and how the doctor met Bester.

Modelling agency

It is said that Dr. Magudumana first came across the “Facebook rapist” Bester back in 2006 as a student at Wits. According to reports, Bester oversaw a modelling and promotions agency, where Dr. Magudumana became one of the promo girls.

That was where their relationship started. But the pair lost contact in 2011 as the doctor married Dr. Mkhuseli.

A few years later, in 2020, news broke that Dr. Magudumana revealed she got engaged to Bester in an affidavit. In 2021, it was reported that the couple established a property renovation firm, Arum Properties.

But in May that year, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) suspended the doctor from medical practice.

The HPCSA had previously said Magudumana had been suspended for "failure to pay annual fees when they were due on 1 April 2021".

Abusing women

With the couple’s lives seemingly going well, it was discovered that Bester, through his modelling agency, was abusing women. He committed more crimes, such as rape and murder.

He was sentenced to life in prison at the Mangaung Correctional Centre.

Visits to prison

It did not take long for Dr. Magudumana to reach out to Bester in jail, and she started visiting him in prison.

On May 3, 2022, Bester, who was said to be living his best life in jail, was declared dead while at the Mangaung correctional facility.

Three days later, a body alleged to be that of Bester was collected from the state mortuary by Dr. Magudumana, who argued that she was his customary wife.

But a post-mortem confirmed that the body was not Bester’s. The latter had faked his death in a prison fire and fled to Tanzania with the help of Dr. Magudumana.

It is alleged that the celebrity doctor played a significant role in planning Bester’s escape. She is said to have stolen three unidentified bodies from Free State mortuaries, two of which are believed to have been reserved for Bester’s last failed prison break attempts. The third body was allegedly used as a decoy and remains unidentified.

After the prison escape from Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein in May 2022, the couple lived in hiding for almost a year until they were spotted in Sandton City at Woolworths, with Ground Up reporting that they were shopping together with the doctor’s daughter.

Escaped to Tanzania

In March 2023, Dr. Magudumana and Bester escaped to Tanzania, leaving behind the doctor’s two daughters who were in school at the time — and their Hyde Park mansion. The school is said to have informed the doctor’s estranged husband to pick up the girls.

The fugitives were arrested two weeks ago in Tanzania and returned to South Africa last Thursday on a private charter flight.

They have already appeared in court, with Dr. Magudumana appearing on Monday at the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court.

While her father, Zolile Sekeleni, who is accused of aiding Bester to escape from prison was granted bail, the doctor, along with two other accused, remain in custody.

They will return to court in May for their formal bail applications.