Convicted rapist Thabo Bester and his partner in crime, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, have taken legal action against Netflix regarding an upcoming three-part docuseries the streaming company is set to release.
Last week, Netflix unveiled the trailer for their eagerly awaited crime documentary titled, Beauty and the Bester. The show is based on the life of one of South Africa’s most notorius couples. Major themes are centred around Thabo’s life of crime, his fraudulent activities behind bars and his infamous escape from the Mangaung prison cells.
Tied to all of this was a medical doctor who is currently standing trial for assisting an inmate to escape; harbouring and concealing an escaped prisoner; and defeating the ends of justice after the two were arrested while fleeing to Tanzania.
With the documentary set to premiere on 12 September, the man dubbed ‘the Facebook rapist’ has since filed an interdict to stop the premiere from happening.
Eyewitness News reported that Thabo’s lawyers recently released a statement stating that they were heading to court on an urgent basis to prevent the screening and broadcast.
According to The South African, the documents submitted allege that the production infringes their rights to privacy, dignity, and a fair trial.
Meanwhile, Thabo has also disputed the accuracy, legitimacy and fairness of the series claiming that it was “riddled with falsehoods, selective editing and unsubstantiated claims that are deliberately designed to evoke sensation”.
His legal representatives claim that Thabo was not offered the opportunity to respond to the allegations made against him, and that the continuation for the possible airing could be labelled as character assassination under the guise of a documentary.
They urged the court to prioritise the matter since the documentary will be airing in less than a month.
Also see: Notorious Thabo Bester story retold in 3-part Netflix documentary
