News of Thabo Bester, who later became known as the Facebook Rapist, started making rounds in the media in 2011, leading to his arrest and sentencing.
Almost a decade later, he is making headlines again after someone who apparently looks like him was spotted in Sandton a few months after his alleged death in a prison cell fire.
According to IOL, despite seemingly charming and selling dreams to several aspiring models, Thabo became a Facebook Rapist who allegedly used more than 13 aliases to lure young women, rapping and robbing them while promising them life-changing modelling careers.
ALSO READ: Mysteries surrounding the death of ‘Facebook rapist’ Thabo Bester
Victims
Thabo Bester allegedly preyed on young women across South Africa, but most of his victims were from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town and were in their early 20s. IOL reports that he once stabbed a woman from Cape Town named Nomfundo Tyhulu to death.
However, it seems he is making all sorts of headlines almost a decade after his conviction. In May 2022, he was reported dead by the Department of Correctional Services. His death has been a mystery, and recent viral pictures have left Mzansi thinking otherwise.
Is he dead or alive? The question is yet to be answered. This comes after someone who looks like him was spotted around Sandton. The viral pictures have since made rounds on social media.
ALSO READ: More questions: Mystery surrounding Facebook Rapist’s death
In the wake of these viral pictures, according to The Citizen, Police Minister Bheki Cele has revealed that they are connecting the dots after DNA results seemingly proved that he was not the one who was pronounced dead in a cell fire incident.
He was apparently stopped in Sandton shopping a few months after his supposed death, according to GroupUp. Here are some of Thabo Bester’s alleged crimes that made all sorts of headlines leading up to his arrest and alleged escape.
ALSO READ: Correctional Services: ‘Facebook rapist’ DIES in Mangaung prison
A DIVE INTO THABO BESTER’S CRIMES
Email Scam
He ran elaborate email scams where he lured victims pretending to be an international modelling scout.
Alberton Arrest
Before his arrest in Alberton, Gauteng, he shared a series of posts on social media distancing himself from alleged murder rumours. However, he only admitted to robbing them of their valued positions.
Fraud
According to IOL, Thabo Bester once served two years of a three-year sentence for fraud. He was nabbed under Thabo Magagulu and released on parole in 2011. Against the backdrop of his release, he broke parole rules and was allegedly involved in a string of crimes.
ALSO READ: Did the Facebook rapist die in his cell? Or he escaped from prison?
Arrested in 2012
In 2012 he was arrested again. However, in his defence, he blamed his poor upbringing for his crimes. He claimed to have not known his parents. According to several sources, he revealed that he was a father of three and hence turned to crime to put food on the table. In the mix of things, he said he was gang raped whilst young.
Mandela Con
Thabo Bester’s crimes also included conning and impersonation. He once dupped ZAR Lounge management, believing he was an ANC bigwig and was part of a Nelson Mandela birthday party celebration committee, as per reports. He was given access and contacts to top Cape Town models, which he took to Johannesburg only to rob them and leave them stranded.
ALSO READ: Elmarie Myburgh: How SAPS’ lone criminal profiler helped imprison the ‘Facebook Rapist’
PRISON CONFESSIONS
Murder A Mistake
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 alleged death. In her mitigation statement, he revealed that the murder was a mistake and something he didn’t intend to do EWN, reported.
Killer, not a rapist
According to EWN, he 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 being a killer. However, in his admission, he made it known that it was also a mistake and something that he regrets.
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