News of Thabo Bester, who later became known as the Facebook rapist, began circulating in the media in 2011, leading to his arrest and sentencing.
Nearly a decade later, he is back in the headlines after someone who apparently looks just like him was spotted in Sandton a few months after he was supposedly killed in a prison cell fire.
According MESS, Despite appearing charming and selling dreams to various aspiring models, Thabo became a Facebook rapist who allegedly used more than 13 aliases to lure young women, beating and robbing them while promising life-changing modeling careers.
READ ALSO: Mysteries surrounding the death of ‘Facebook rapist’ Thabo Bester
victims
Thabo Bester allegedly preyed on young women in South Africa, but most of his victims were from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town and in their early 20s. MESS reports that he once stabbed a Cape Town woman named Nomfundo Tyhulu to death.
However, it seems like he’s making all sorts of headlines nearly a decade after his conviction. In May 2022, the Department of Correctional Services reported his death. His death has been a mystery, and recent viral images have left Mzansi thinking otherwise.
Is he alive or dead? The question has not yet been answered. This occurs after someone who looks just like him was seen in Sandton. Since then, viral images have made the rounds on social media.
READ ALSO: More questions: Mystery surrounding the death of the Facebook rapist
As a result of these viral images, according to The citizenPolice Minister Bheki Cele has revealed they are connecting the dots after DNA results apparently showed he was not the one who was pronounced dead in a cell fire incident.
He was apparently stopped at the Sandton shopping mall a few months after his alleged death, according to Group. Here are some of Thabo Bester’s alleged crimes that made all sorts of headlines leading up to his arrest and alleged escape.
READ ALSO: Correctional Services: ‘Facebook Rapist’ DIES in Mangaung Prison
A DIVE INTO THE CRIMES OF THABO BESTER
email scam
He ran elaborate email scams luring victims by posing as an international model scout.
alberton arrest
Before his arrest in Alberton, Gauteng, he shared a series of posts on social media distancing himself from the alleged murder rumors. However, he only admitted to stealing his valuable positions.
Fraud
According MESS, Thabo Bester once served two years of a three-year sentence for fraud. He was caught under Thabo Magagulu and paroled in 2011. In the context of his release, he violated the parole rules and was allegedly involved in a series of crimes.
READ ALSO: Did the Facebook rapist die in his cell? Or did he escape from prison?
Arrested in 2012
In 2012 he was arrested again. However, in his defense, he blamed his rudeness for his crimes. He claimed not to have met his parents. According to various sources, he revealed that he was the father of three children and from there he turned to crime to put food on the table. In the mix of things, he said that he was gang raped when he was young.
Mandela With
Thabo Bester’s crimes also included fraud and impersonation. He once misled ZAR Lounge management, believing that he was an ANC bigwig and was part of the celebration committee for Nelson Mandela’s birthday party, according to reports. He was given access and contacts to top Cape Town models, who he brought to Johannesburg only to rob and strand them.
READ ALSO: Elmarie Myburgh: How SAPS’s Only Criminal Profiler Helped Jail ‘Facebook Rapist’
PRISON CONFESSIONS
murder a bug
He was slapped with 50 years in jail for raping and robbing two women. However, he appealed and his sentence was reduced to 30 years before his presumed death. In his mitigation statement, he revealed that the murder was a mistake and something he had no intention of doing. ewn, informed.
murderer not rapist
According ewn, admitted to being guilty. In an inclusive interview from the cells with the daily voice, Thabo admitted that he was not a rapist but admitted to being a murderer. However, in his confession he made it known that it was also a mistake and something he regrets.