On Friday, a South African court rejected an urgent application by convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and his partner, Dr. Nandipha Magudumana, to block Netflix from streaming a three part documentary about his life and daring prison escape. Judge Sulet Potterill of the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled that the matter lacked urgency, adding that any claims of harm could be pursued through defamation lawsuits after the broadcast.
The series, titled Beauty and the Bester, went live shortly after the ruling. According to Netflix, the documentary explores Bester’s 2022 breakout from Mangaung maximum security prison as well as his controversial relationship with Magudumana. The couple had argued that airing the show would compromise their fair-trial rights and damage their reputations.
