Thabo Bester: The Facebook Rapist Escape

South Africa

Sep 30

The official story was that convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester died in a South African prison fire on May 3, 2022, but the truth was far more shocking: he had faked his own death with a stolen corpse and easily walked out of a maximum security prison.

This incredible true crime saga, which is also the subject of the Netflix docuseries, Beauty and the Bester, involves one of South Africa's most notorious criminals. Known as "The Facebook Rapist" for luring women with fake international modeling opportunities, Bester was serving a 30-year sentence for the rape and robbery of two women and the murder of his girlfriend, Nomfundo Tyhulu, in 2011.

In this episode, we unravel the chaotic details of his prison escape and his life on the run:

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Transcript

Thabo Bester MELISSA

Mand: [00:00:00] The official story was that Tebo Bester died in a prison fire, but chaos erupted when he was later spotted shopping for groceries. In this episode, we're unraveling how a convicted rapist and murderer faked his own death with a stolen corpse and easily walked out of a maximum security prison.

Marker

Mand: Hey guys, and welcome to the Moms and Mysteries podcast, a true crime podcast featuring myself, Mandy, and my dear friend Melissa.

Hi, Melissa.

Melissa: Hi, Mandy. How are you?

Mand: I am doing wonderful. Ready to record a new episode with you.

Melissa: Oh, I love it. Let's do it.

Mand: So we're gonna get right into the story this week. Uh, this is a wild story. It is actually not from, over here in the us. This is a story from South Africa, and it's one of the stories that really just makes the most sense to start at the very beginning because a guy like Tebo Bester is someone who, you know, their red flags were practically waving before he even had a birth certificate.

And I mean that literally. So he was born on June 13th, [00:01:00] 1986 in South Africa to a woman named Maisie Maso, which is usually a pretty straightforward thing, right? You go to the hospital, you have a baby, you do the paperwork. That's how it always goes.

But not this time. Tao's mother never registered his birth, which I guess I didn't think you could just do that.

thought they made you right. I thought they forced you to do that before you left the hospital. but as far as the government was concerned, Tebo didn't even exist.

Part of the reason was the complicated history of registration in South Africa. Tao's mom, Maisie herself wasn't even registered until 2002, long after she was grown.

When she was born in the sixties, her mom worked on a farm and her employer wouldn't even let her take the day off work to file the paperwork. So when Maisie's mom died in 2002, an aunt stepped in and got the whole family registered under her surname. Maisie signed herself and her kids up except for Tebo because by 2002 he had already disappeared.[00:02:00]

So growing up, Tebo was a ghost in the system. He had no id, no birth certificate, nothing. He did have some fake passports that he cobbled together later in life. Tebo said that he was raised mostly by his grandparents on their farm because his mother abandoned him. But even with grandma and grandpa stepping in, things were still far from ideal.

Both of Tebow's grandparents were actually alcoholics. Tebo dropped outta school after the fifth grade, and by age 16 he just vanished, which is why he was never registered when the rest of his family was. Fast forward a few years and this unregistered kid is running an events business that is somehow pulling in the equivalent of tens of thousands of US dollars per year.

Cabo also became the father of three daughters by three different mothers all. By the time he was 23, the two oldest girls lived with him in Durbin while the youngest stayed in Cape Town with her mom. And then there's Tableau's [00:03:00] personality. In 2011, a clinical psychologist evaluated him and found that he clearly was not someone who felt much remorse.

She said Tebo was different than the rest of us, and that was never going to change. In other words, he was manipulative, dangerous, and headed for exactly what you would expect, which is a life of crime.

Melissa: And here's where things take a sharp turn from. Shady guy with a sad childhood to full blown predator table. Went on to earn himself the name. The Facebook rapist because of this very specific and very terrifying mo, he would use social media to pose as someone connected to the international modeling world, to lure women in with promises of auditions, castings, and other big opportunities. Once they showed up to meet 'em in person, he would pull a knife on them, rob them, and in many cases he would sexually assault them. One of Tebow's almost victims was a South African model and actress Pearl [00:04:00] Tousi. This was in mid 2011, and Pearl got a Facebook invite from Tebo about a supposed TV audition in Santon. She agreed and the two of them actually drove to this audition together, but at some point during the ride, Tebo pulled a knife on her and threatened to kill her. In the moment, Pearl kept her cool and managed to talk him down. At one point, she even involved her pastor in the conversation.

and she later described the whole experience in the Netflix stock, beauty and the Bester. She explained how her adrenaline kicked in and her mind is racing and she asked him, why are you doing this? She said she had no idea she was dealing with a psychopath. Broke my heart. I watched this Netflix doc.

Um, or it's like a docuseries. and just hearing her relive this and talk about it, just how close she knew to. He could have very easily killed her. She was very much on his list of people to kill, you know, and she was able to [00:05:00] really talk him out of it. She

ultimately gave him a Bible

in hopes of diffusing this situation, and miraculously it worked.

She was able to walk away with her

life.

Mand: But not everyone that Tebo encountered was that lucky.

In October of 2011, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to the rape and robbery of two women. He was hit with a 50 year sentence, which was later reduced to 30 years. He broke down crying in court saying that he had been sexually abused as a child, as well as when he was in prison.

And he told the judge quote, I know I've done terrible things. This is not truly who I am. I want the opportunity to put things right. But yet, before the ink was even dry on that conviction, Tebo was tied to an even darker crime. That was the murder of 26-year-old Mundo to Hulu. A woman, Tebo had been romantically involved with.

Mundo was a beautiful woman from South Africa who worked at a car dealership, which is where she actually met [00:06:00] Tebo. She sold him a car, and then they struck up a long distance relationship in early 2011. By September of that year, they were vacationing together in Cape Town, but here's the kicker. At the same time, Tebo was still facing rape and robbery charges, but Mundo believed that he was innocent and she trusted and supported him.

She even came to his defense when others would question his character. On September 21st, 2011, the two of them were staying at a bed and breakfast in Cape Town, sometime around 2:00 AM while Mundo was sleeping, Tebo slipped out of the room, went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. He claimed his intention was to threaten her and to handing over her laptop and phone.

But Mundo woke up when he returned to the room and a struggle between them broke out and she was stabbed once in the chest. That single blow was fatal.

Melissa: One thing in the dock that,

uh, was interesting is this bed and breakfast that they stayed at. It was only [00:07:00] either the first or second night it was open. Like this lady and

her husband opened this. Yeah. And this was like their inaugural people that were coming in. But it was just, I, I can't imagine being like, this is our new business and doing this and this happens. 'cause you'd be like, we're closing our business. I can't do this. This is terrible. But what happens next is both chilling and really baffling, table Tied Mungo's hands behind her back and demanded her laptop

password. But by then she was bleeding out and she was unresponsive. I can't believe he stabs her and then is like, what's your password?

That's

Mand: on earth?

Melissa: absolutely insane and so gross and ugh, he's just wicked. So instead of panicking and calling for help, like a sane person might do, he just stayed there for five hours, exactly what he did during that time as unknown.

But eventually at around 7:00 AM he strolled out and asked this owner of the bed and breakfast for a ride into Central Cape Town. [00:08:00] He was completely casual as though nothing happened. He, he actually told the owner that Nononono was asleep and to not wake her up until after two o'clock knowing full well that she is dead in the room. And the way I understood it's, he was like, I'm gonna go out for a little bit and come back. But I think when the husband took him, he was like, no, just bring me to the train station. So table hopped on a plane to Durban and left Mundos family to pick up the pieces. What was extra sad about this is she was actually the financial backbone for her mom and sisters. And so her death really devastated them anyway, but it really financially ruined them. they struggled to even afford her

burial in court. Tebo claimed that he did not know why he killed num fundo and said it was a mistake,

which is one, one very, uh, not remorseful thing you could say, but the judge wasn't buying it.

He says there's a difference between regret and [00:09:00] true remorse And his crocodile tears weren't fooling anyone. He was then sent to the second largest maximum security private prison in the world. Mangaung Correctional Center. But then came the plot twist of the century.

On May 3rd, 2022 officials at the prison found table dead in his cell. As for the scene, there was a body under a mattress, which had been set on fire. The mattress was set on fire, and the remains were burned beyond recognition and you will not believe what actually

happened. And we will get into more

after a quick break to hear word from this week's sponsors.

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Melissa: And now back to The episode.

Marker

Mand: The Bo Bester started his life as a ghost in the system. As we mentioned before the break, he had no birth registration, a really chaotic childhood, and a knack for manipulating people. He became known as the Facebook rapist who lured women with promises of fake modeling gigs. And in 20 11, 1 of those women was found dead at the hands of Tebo.

He was convicted of her murder, but years later, he was found dead under a burning mattress in his prison cell. An investigation was launched and immediately the details started to look suspicious. For starters, Tebo Tebo had been moved to a corner cell that same night, and this is a cell that the CCTV cameras conveniently couldn't see clearly.

Melissa: Huh.

Mand: At 2:59 AM cameras showed two people hustling outta the prison, and one minute later, smoke was reported by 4:00 AM. Smoke was visibly pouring from tebow's cell. Someone tried to call the local police station at 4:25 AM but the number didn't work, [00:13:00] and at 5:00 AM. 5:00 AM This is how much time has passed between 2:59 AM and now 5:00 AM the prison is finally calling the emergency services number.

At five 10 the body in the cell, which was labeled as Tebo, Bester was pronounced dead. Now the police still didn't even arrive until 6:45 AM which is kind of bizarre

for these circumstances. Uh, and investigators noted that the cell was isolated. And of course they asked these obvious questions like, how did the

fire start? Did Tebo die before the fire or during? And how do we know that the body is even Tebo? Bester authorities did confirm that inmates who smoke were allowed to have lighters. So theoretically it was possible that an inmate could start a fire. That was wild to me, that a maximum security prison like this isn't like slap on the wrist, you're just in jail for a few months.

Like you can have a lighter, this is like maximum security prison. That's wild to me that any inmate was able to have a lighter at all. That's crazy. [00:14:00]

Melissa: I feel like you

would after that, if my neighbor got a lighter for,

you know, because they smoked and I didn't, I'd be like, great, I like to eat steaks. Can I

have

a knife and

Mand: Right, Exactly. Exactly. By November of 2022, DNA testing still had not been done on the remains that were

found in the cell. Essentially, they were saying they could confirm Tebo died and that an inquest was open, but they were waiting on the forensics and these, you know, medical and legal reports, DNA was allegedly taken from the corpse that they found, but the results were still pending. And when you consider that the national DNA backlog is 71,000 cases is very much like a hurry up and wait for that kind of situation.

Melissa: For sure reporting from Ground Up. Its a media place in South Africa that November, they boiled the case down to four possibilities. The first is that Tebo killed himself by fire. The second was that Tebo died in an accidental fire. The third was Tebo was murdered before the [00:15:00] fire, and the fourth was that it wasn't Tebo at all and he had actually escaped. At that point though, the idea of escape seemed pretty farfetched. Then in January of 2023, some results were back in the postmortem reports that the victim died before the fire by blunt force injury to the head. And although table was listed as five seven, uh, in. Police reports, the chart remains.

Were only about four foot nine in length. A pathologist did

say the height could be misread on burned remains, but that's quite a difference. Mandy, that's kind of like the difference between me and

you. No

Mand: a whole foot. Just

about.

Melissa: really is. Yeah, like it's a, it's different. It's not the same at all. That's a huge difference. The coroner also noted the smell of an accelerant in the airway of the victim So the manner of death was changed from suicide to murder. After Tableau's death, three officers at the prison were fired, including the officer who put Tebo in that [00:16:00] cell where his body was found.

the others that were fired were two of the control room officers that were on duty that night of the fire. Yeah, some people need to get fired if no one's calling the fire department. And people are just running willy-nilly out

of this, prison. It's crazy. that's when Dr. non Dipa Mag Duana enter the picture. She's a celebrity physician and this polished public figure, but that's not the only way she presented herself.

She also said that she was tebo buster's customary law wife in the immediate aftermath of the fire. She's actually the person who collected the body that was found under the mattress, this body that supposedly her customary law husband tebo. however, almost as soon

as she got the body, the police took it back, which was actually standard procedure.

So the autopsy could be

Mand: I didn't know they did that. Like they're just moving the bodies around like that. Like that

me is why, why would you release the body to family if you had still needed it for autopsy?[00:17:00]

Melissa: That is, I don't get that at all. Um, yeah, you definitely think they'd be like, actually one more day and then we're gonna release it. That doesn't make any sense to me. But while that was happening, another plot twist came out. Authorities actually took DNA from a

woman who identified

herself as Tableau's mother, but that supposed mother wasn't actually a match to the body.

Mand: Wild. So by May 19th, just over two weeks

after this fire, Dr. Npa went to the high court to ask that the body be returned to her so that she would be able to bury Tebo, her customary law husband. And she also asked for an independent autopsy. She argued that as table's spouse under customary law, the burial rights belong to her, which sounds great on paper, but in practice, this is kind of a whole nightmare.

Melissa: Yeah.

Mand: In order to really explain what's even happening here, you're probably, you know, wondering what exactly is a customary law marriage and who is this woman to Tebo? So we're gonna get to [00:18:00] that in just a minute. But the question of who had the right to bury the body became a thing in the case, in a reply affidavit to the doctor's application, the lead investigator said the police no longer had the remains because they were claimed by a woman named Maisie Baso, which is Tebow's biological mother.

The police said that if Dr. Npa wanted the body, she should go get it from Tebow's mom, which again, I didn't, they're just able to move this body around at will. I don't

understand. I know. So, however, when ground up talked to Maisie, she said that's actually not what happened at all. She said that

she did try to claim the body, but officials wouldn't release it to her because her DNA didn't match the corpse in question.

Which brings us back to an earlier theory that the victim was not tebo at all.

Melissa: But also it could not be, Maisie could

not be the mom. That's the other thing. Like

we don't have records

of this guy. She took a

whole her aunt's surname and all that other

stuff. So [00:19:00] like

this has to be So confusing.

Mand: Right, right. But in the case that the remains were not tebo, then whose were they? So Maisie confirmed that her relationship with her son was strained and he had been raised by his grandmother. She also said she had no idea he was married to Dr. Nandi pa. So that makes things really super awkward.

So we have a celebrity doctor insisting on burial rights, this mom who can't claim a body that supposedly belongs to her son and a paper trail that really just cannot agree on who even is in possession of these remains at this time. So yeah, it's like a chain of chaos really is happening

Melissa: For sure. So let's talk a little more about Dr. Non Dipa on paper. She's a high overachiever with a sparkly origin story. She grew up in Eastern Cape South Africa, and by the age of six she knew she wanted to become a doctor. She was quoted in male and guardian as saying quote, my mother was in hospital for a while and I never [00:20:00] understood the complexity of her condition at the time.

And when I was around doctors, I felt empowered, confident, and fearless. In quote. From there, she strived for academic excellence and eventually earned both A BSC in health sciences and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of surgery, which is the US equivalent of an md. She worked at a couple of different hospitals where she touched on aesthetics, dermatology, plastic surgery, and pharmaceuticals. In 2013, she had gotten married to a pediatrician that had his own practice and the couple had two daughters. They divorced in 2022, but they remained listed as married

in South

Africa's home affairs database. So in 2017, she founded Optimum Medical Aesthetic Solutions where she offered skincare and aesthetic treatments, and soon she became this bonafide celebrity doctor. She had over 124,000 Instagram followers. She had partnerships, and she collected awards [00:21:00] and certificates of recognition. Her persona was very lavish. Her Instagram showed new cars, VIP, Hangouts with South African celebrities, including a former president as well as sponsorships from big brands. And here's where business and romance collide. So in her own court filings, Dr. Npa said she first met Tebo back in 2006 while she was at university, but the

two lost touch in 2011, which for Tebo was like his peak evil era. So probably a great time to lose touch of. Him at that time. She ended up reaching out to him in 2017 and began visiting him in prison and evidently started managing his life behind bars. She also deposited money into his prison account and acted as his fixer When he had a problem or concern, Dr. Non Dipa

would speak to the lawyers on

his behalf, And I'm talking, this guy you're gonna see is busy in prison. He's not just [00:22:00] lighting

things up. He's so

busy.

Mand: it's crazy when you realize how like tbo, like this is brilliant, right? because he himself certainly can't speak to the, to authorities and 'cause he is genuinely a dangerous person, a danger to society. So who better to speak on his behalf?

Then this celebrity doctor that's well respected, it's, you know, so he's like, yeah baby, please tell the police that I, you know, talk to my lawyers, make me sound great and they're gonna listen to you. You're gonna be more effective at this than I ever could be.

Melissa: Yeah,

Mand: just it's sick how people

Melissa: all perfect for him. It was, it was good for him and him alone.

Mand: So by February of 2020, Tebo had proposed

to Dr. Npa and so they got married

under Customary law Customary law is legally defined as the customs and usages traditionally observed among the indigenous African peoples of South Africa and which form part of the culture of those peoples.

So under South Africa's recognition [00:23:00] of Customary Marriages Act, which was established in 1998, the marriage is valid if both parties are over 18, if they give consent to Mary, and the union is negotiated and celebrated per customary law. So the negotiation part refers to lo bolo, which is a bride price, and it's usually paid with cattle, and the prospective husband gives it to the head of the prospective wife's family, most likely her father.

Melissa: I. know about this from 90 day fiance. All the

freaking time they were having to deal

with somebody from the US who didn't have enough money to buy cattle, and it was always an issue, but that was literally what it always

Mand: Yeah. Yeah. So meanwhile, from inside the prison, Tebo was busy building empires. In 2018, he launched 20th Century Media, which was a scam outfit deliberately named to Echo, 20th Century Fox. And be confusing. and it was registered to a woman who was the sole director of this company. but this woman also fronted 11 other lookalike companies that had like a similar thing going on, [00:24:00] trying to be intentionally confusing and acting like they were affiliated with something legitimate, But that woman later said that both Tebo and non Depa scammed her and cost her money. Tebo built himself a bogus resume with the name Tom Mosse, where he claimed to hold a bachelor's degree in business administration and management from the University of Cape Town and a bachelor's degree from Harvard in investment and securities.

However, upon investigating, Harvard does not even offer such a degree. So yeah, you might wanna do a little bit of research before you start claiming stuff on your fake resume. So Tebo, um, or as he's now going by, Tom claimed he owned 33.5% of Viacom and 12.9% of 20th Century Fox.

Melissa: Sir.

Mand: Where's your money? Where's all your money?

Right? He called himself a thought leader and a progressive and innovative businessman.

There was even a Twitter account for Tom with images of tab Bo's face Photoshopped onto celebrities, [00:25:00] including Michael B. Jordan.

Melissa: Unreal. And

these are, yeah,

this is

like. Yeah, yeah. They're, they're in the documentary, but it's, it's, there's one specific one in the car where I'm like, what is happening? But this is like, we should not have canceled the show Catfish, the show Catfish just got canceled this year. Now we have ai, we have people doing stuff like this. We, we need it now more than ever for things like this. So in 2018, this company hosted a Women in Media conference, which sold tickets and advertised celebrity speakers like Holly Berry and Taraji Henson, who both publicly stated they were not part of this event, which resulted in the host backing out and the event being canceled. It was such a disaster that it actually made headlines in South Africa, which I can imagine for Tebo slash Tom, that's probably not great for you to have headlines like this. At a different event that actually did occur. This [00:26:00] Tom, which is Tebo again, he video called in from prison, but he had on a crisp shirt and tie and claimed he was in New York.

This is like a huge screen that's out there. This guy is sitting with a white wall behind him and he's wearing a shirt and tie and there's these like two gorgeous women standing up on the stage,

pointing to him. The whole audience sings happy Birthday to him, and he's meanwhile zooming

from prison and they have no idea. Unreal, because I'm like, isn't prison loud? Are they not gonna hear people screaming? What is happening in this prison? But within 20th Century media. Tom seemed legit and seemed like someone who knew the industry had money to spend and recruited talent from real companies. He had 30 employees working for him, and they all believed that Tom was just in New York and they were dealing with a time difference, not like him being thrown in the shoe.

He like, there was actually just a time difference.

So Tomba give instructions to [00:27:00] employees while a managing director was in charge of the day-to-day operations.

Unreal.

Mand: It's, it's

Melissa: Unreal.

Mand: to think that anyone could do this.

Melissa: Absolutely. So money seemed to flow through the company, yet nothing was really happening. The company would hold auditions for projects that never ended up being filmed. but how was he able to do

this from behind bars? You might wonder, well, cell phone smuggling is a pretty well known problem in South African prisons. It happens in the US

too, for sure.

And Tebo was allowed to have a laptop if he was in a degree program, which he allegedly was unreal, that you're

just like, Hey, I smoke.

Can I have a lighter, Hey, I'm in a program, can I have a laptop? And they just give it to you. Obviously, it's more than that,

but it's crazy. So of course, this explains how he was able to run a fake company from prison, despite it being illegal to do so. On top of that, and this wasn't the only prison run company that Tebo had a hand in. In 2017, there was [00:28:00] a construction company called Arum Properties. This company put money into Tebow's prison account, according to records in 2020. Tebo and on Depa.

Created a company called iMedia, which non Dipa is the sole director of. I was like, iMedia, is that, is that supposed to be like iPhone,

iPad, like Apple stuff?

Yeah, exactly. People who had interactions with this company reported that they had video calls with a man who resembled Tebo. Of course you did. In the months and weeks leading up to the fire, non Depa made several property rentals and hotel visits under table's. Alias that Tom name or under her own alias.

The Airbnb booking was made under the name TK Nana, and the same profile had made several bookings for luxury properties, non Dipa and her children. Remember, she has two kids. He has three. Stayed at a mansion from March 12th through 14th. On March 24th, non Deepa checked [00:29:00] into a luxury hotel 30 minutes away from the prison, and she stayed at the hotel again from April 13th through 14th.

And believe it or not,

still have so much more to get into after a quick break to hear a word from this week's sponsors. now back to the episode.

Marker

Mand: So before the break we were talking.

Really all about how a burning mattress turned into this whole insane chain of events. And as if this story hasn't been wild enough, we have a plot twist within a plot twist.

In June of 2002, a shopper at Woolworths in Santon City spotted Dr. Nadi PA with her daughter and a man who looked a whole lot like Tebo Bester.

She snapped some photos and sent them to ground up, but those images didn't make it to the public until March of 2023. The photographer said that she recognized the doctor because her friend is a fan, but she was actually surprised to see the doctor with a man who definitely was not her husband. The photographer didn't recognize Tebo at all.

The authorities had to respond very [00:30:00] carefully. They really didn't have the equipment or the forensic accreditation to verify the photos or to verify this man's real identity. But the rumor mill was definitely a buzz.

People were alleging that Tebo was living with Dr. Nadi PA in a rented mansion in Santon. So then in March of 2023, the Department of Correctional Services finally confirmed what some people were already thinking. The burn body found in the prison cell was not Tebo bester the real tebo. Yet this had actually escaped from prison.

It was reported that the authorities knew this as early as October of 2022. Evidence indicated that there was a fire that was staged and a corpse was smuggled into Tebo cell to fake his death and facilitate his escape.

Melissa: I get people breaking out of prison, but it's

not often you hear

somebody being broken

Mand: Into

prison.

Melissa: wild. Yeah.

Mand: So the day before they announced this, it was reported that a prison guard had been [00:31:00] emailing the deputy minister since June of 2022 saying Tabba was gone. And this guard said that everyone at the prison knew the body wasn't him, and that the protocols hadn't been followed, that it was really likely an inside job.

By the night shift staff in late March, 2023, the security company contracted with the prison G four s was booted from running security there, and a temporary manager took over. The national commissioner called this a necessary remedy after an embarrassing incident that undermined the authority of the state.

And this actually wasn't the first time that G four s had been removed from this prison. They were also kicked out in 2013 after a guard was abducted.

Melissa: Goodness. So Tebow's life on the run was somehow both brazen as well as sloppy. In July of 2022, he was stopped for speeding. Tebo handed over a fake id, which the officers immediately clocked as being fake, but they still didn't look into it or take him in. They issued a court notice and sent him on his way, having no idea.

They had [00:32:00] just encountered Tebo Bester. I will say for Tebo Bester, he looks different in every picture you see him in, not just when he puts his face on Michael B Jordan's body, but just in general, he looks so different. His hair, everything can change so much. Like he just looks different in everything. So later those two officers got written warnings for failing to check whether or not this obviously suspicious man was linked to other crimes. Of course, that would've been policy After his escape, Tebo went into business with Aaron Properties and teamed up with Dr. Non Dipa clients paid millions of dollars for construction that never happened, and at this timetable was going by TK Nana and he had a driver's license, an ID, and a fake ID number to go along with it. One person who met him in July of 2022, said that TK or Tebo tried to pay them to fly to Cape Town, impose in houses that Arum Properties was allegedly renovating, but they said the [00:33:00] vibes were weird, so they declined. I can't imagine

somebody wanting you to go to properties that aren't theirs to take pictures. I mean, if you knew the story, obviously that's where the vibes would

definitely fall off. Yeah. but Tebo used Arum properties and iMedia accounts that were linked to Dr. Non deepa's Instagram and actually targeted influencers. He would try to lure them to audition for a fake Netflix show called.

Hot Property chick, which I was like, listen, I mean there was a show called F Boy Island, so I don't feel like hot Property Chick is the craziest, but I do love that this was an on Netflix that he was saying it. And this docuseries later, it's on Netflix. So inside Arum Tebo ran the day to day while Dr.

Npa kept her medical practice going. And Tebo wasn't even trying to hide. He was meeting clients in broad daylight. Work was subcontracted to other companies, but little was actually [00:34:00] being done. Items would be added to invoices without the client's approval. And then everything administratively was very, very slow. Table was said to be difficult to work with and hotheaded, especially when clients had questions about budgets and schedules, like the things they would definitely need to know about. So he had several different phone numbers, so getting in touch and communicating with him was challenging, and the contracts he gave clients listed Aaron Properties, but no such company was registered with the company's and Intellectual Property Commission. But the Arum Properties website from 2021 has a selection of construction projects the company says it's responsible

for, but it has

been

determined that the photos are stolen from other places online.

Mand: So Tebo and Dr. Npa even hosted a women in property brunch at the Mansion. The event description said that in celebration of Women's Month, errand properties would like to treat you a pioneer in the industry to an exquisite brunch and all things property. [00:35:00] Meanwhile, the couple was allegedly behind on their rent for the mansion.

They had also rented the house that was right next door, and were using errand properties to renovate it and supposedly turn it into a new clinic for the doctor. But after Ground Up published its first article in March of 2023, alleging that Tebo may still be alive, he and Nadi PA abandoned their rented mansion and left all their belongings inside.

Around the same time, Dupa deactivated all of her business Instagram accounts that were associated with her personal account, which by the way, is now private. The last post to her clinic's account was made in early February, 2023. Finally on April 7th, 2023, the manhunt ended in Tanzania near the Kenyan border.

Police arrested Tebo and Dr. Npa, but they were not by themselves. A man from Mozambique was helping them as they were in Tanzania illegally. They were found with several passports that had different names on them, and police believed they were headed for the border. Tebo had an [00:36:00] American passport in the name of Tom Williams.

Kelly and authorities were actually unable to determine whether that passport was real or fake, which is also wild to me like that they like

the

so scary,

right? Dr. Npa had three passports with her. One was her own,

and the other two belonged to someone named Dr. Murica.

So one of her passports was expired, but this doctor said that her passport was actually stolen in 2019. She had reported it stolen and she reported it stolen again in 2023. But then she later told the police that she gave her valid passport, like gave it to Dr.

Nadi Pi and a man named tk. So they obviously could supposedly apply for a US uh, work citizenship, I guess on her behalf. That was a story that they had told this woman they're gonna

use her passport and apply. I know. What kind of business was that for? I have no idea.

Melissa: Unreal. So police in Tanzania were able to identify the pair and followed them after they left their hotel. After the [00:37:00] arrest, everyone understood that they would be extradited to South Africa. They determined that non Dipa failed to pick her daughters up from school before her arrest, which provided a clue for exactly when they left Back home in South Africa. Police arrested, Sohi, matzo and Zale.

Sni on charges including murder, defeating the ends of justice, aiding an escape, and intentionally killing a person. One was a former prison guard who also faced charges of arson, but Zali Le was non Deepa's father and he was also charged with fraud. He is in this documentary, I did not understand what the

heck he was being charged with or why he was being charged with it.

From the research or from that, like it was just, he just seemed like he got caught in something he didn't even know was happening. So the other guard had worked in table's, cell block on the night of the escape, and Friends say that his lifestyle took a lavish turn after Tebo escaped, allegedly paid for with [00:38:00] escape money from Tebo.

He was suspended and then ultimately fired from the prison. Dr. Non Deepa's. Dad was let out on bail in late April, 2023. The body found in tebo cell was identified as a

man named cut Leggo bearing. His parents divorced when he was young and he was raised by his grandmother Alice. His mother remarried and he sometimes used his father's surname. Kale had two young children and he was described as being a loving father who always tried to support his family.

Even when he was unemployed, he trained to be a paramedic and he also worked as a waiter. Cut. Lego was very involved with a local football club. in March of 2022, when he was 30 years old, he went missing, but his family didn't report him missing until May. In May of 2023, which is a year later, Kale's mom was contacted by the police and asked to take 2D NA tests. She was then informed that her son had died. An autopsy determined that he died from blunt [00:39:00] force injury to the head, but his family was really given confusing information. They were told he had collapsed in the city center and was being taken to a hospital and also that he was injured and taken to the hospital, but he passed away.

So not really a straight story that they're getting.

His father said he,

planned to sue the government to get answers about his son's death. It was reported that his son lived near

and knew

So no, he,

Mand: by May. The case had grown

to include eight people who face charges tied to table's, escape and cut Lego's murder. Four of them were ex prison employees who were found to have contributed to this plot. They did different things from letting the vehicle carry cut Lego's body into the prison and opening the door so Tebo could escape.

Dr. NPAs father was accused of hiring the vehicle used to transport the body. In total, there were 16 charges between these eight individuals. Prosecutors said that sometime between the April seven to 22nd window, the group had claimed [00:40:00] an unidentified morgue body, which they said was non deepa's father.

Maybe that's where the fraud came in.

Melissa: Okay, that makes more sense, but I, I don't

Mand: Yeah. But when that plan fell through, they dumped the body in a river. That body that they

had claimed and said that it was her father, uh, they dumped that body in a river because the plan fell through. So they're just like, oh, I guess we don't need this now. We'll just toss it on a river. And they staged a fake funeral.

They buried a coffin filled with corn meal, or some reports actually say it was rotten meat that they used to fill this coffin, uh, to, I guess get away with this money to the funeral home was traced to arum properties. next they posed as hospital staff to claim what's believed to be cut Lego's body.

They said that it belonged to an acquaintance's brother, which again, in this story, I, I, I am mind blown at how easy it is to claim a corpse. Um, I just didn't know that people could do that. You could just go into a hospital and say, this is my [00:41:00] friend's brother. Can I take the body? Like,

Melissa: Yeah. That is a

very, Yeah, it's different to say, this is my, you know, sister, this is my whatever, but to be like, I, I kind of know this guy and that's his brother. Can I take him

Mand: right.

Melissa: And they're like, sure.

Mand: Yeah, it, I, it's not connecting for me. Uh, but when the conspirators arrived at the prison with the body, the vehicle wasn't even

inspected. The body was inside a TV cabinet that was placed in the workshop. And then the next day, the body was moved to a trash can with a lid and, you know, with wheels.

And that was taken to, to, uh, tebo cell when the fire began. The supervisor allegedly did nothing to extinguish it. It was others who later came to put it out. Tebo was smuggled out in a guard uniform.

Melissa: So after being arrested, Dr. Npa asked the court for release from prison arguing that her arrest in Tanzania was unlawful. She said she was blindfolded, abducted, and subjected to a quote unquote disguised extradition. [00:42:00] but the government had evidence that she could complied with the arrest, and she offered no verbal or physical resistance and knew exactly why she was being arrested. In June of 2023, a ninth person was arrested. In this case, a man named Zda Moo was charged with violating a body fraud and harboring and concealing an escaped convict. He is the man who the others claimed kale was related to in order to take possession of his body. By the end of June three, more prison security officers were arrested and charged, bringing the total number of people accused and tabs escaped to 12. in September, non Dipo was denied bail. She tried to allege that Tebo kidnapped her and took her to Tanzania against her will, but it was found that she was a flight risk and there was no evidence that she was ever forced to do anything against her. Will she willingly left the country with Tebo?

One thing I didn't see, in this, but it is talked about and played in the documentary is Tebo [00:43:00] talking to Naba. like screaming at her, yelling at her on phone calls and saying, I know what you're wearing. I have people watching you. If you don't do this, I will kill you. I will, but like incredibly violent ways of saying that.

And so some people did feel for her and said like at some point it probably got over her head, but I don't know. Um, they're still looking into all of that. In October, charges against three of the conspirators were dropped and another had their charges dropped Later in 2025, non Depa appealed the decision about her release, but her appeal was also denied. As of June, 2025, the trial for all the accused is set for November of 2025.

So just in a little over a month. It's already been

delayed several times. And the judge in the case warned all the accused that there should not be any more delays in the trial. There was supposed to be a hearing on September 19th, but we're not sure if that has actually happened earlier this month. September of 2025, Netflix released a docuseries about Table Buster and Doctor non [00:44:00] Deepa called Beauty and the Bester. They actually both submitted requests to the South African Court to

stop the docuseries from airing. The request was denied and the show was released as scheduled.

Mand: What a wild story. I cannot believe that they had charged 12

Melissa: The.

Mand: with getting this one guy out of prison.

Melissa: A, a convicted murderer and rapist that 12 people were willing to get arrested for. One thing that was very interesting in the docuseries is they show, I guess, like court looks a little bit different and Dr. Npa and Tebo are sitting together in court and there's like people all in the background and, they're like smiling at each other,

could not be more affectionate, looking at each other.

So whatever. This whole, like I was being kidnapped from here to there thing is not gonna hold up. Well, if you saw that, it was, it was weird. And then Tebo gets up and

like screams about

something. It was, [00:45:00] it was a

wild to watch. So if you get a chance to

watch the docuseries, you definitely should, but what a crazy story.

Mand: Absolutely crazy. I didn't get to watch all of the docuseries. I did turn on the first episode and I was distracted while I had it on, but, um, man, yeah, three episodes worth of information about this case. So I'm really excited to kind of go try and finish it. I'll be doing that probably while I'm taking my walks.

I'll try and finish that. But, um, yeah, super wild story. I definitely can't wait to find out what actually happens. Hopefully that trial goes off, you know, in next month or in a couple months and, um, we can kind of see where everything lands. But yeah, that's, it's truly wild and always is fascinating. I know I always say it's fascinating to see how things are done in other places, you know, like how cases are investigated.

Like you were even saying, like having the two, defendants basically sitting next to each other and able to like, talk to each other. Like, that's also not something that, you know, we see here. So

it's always fascinating and interesting to, to do a case like this.

Melissa: for sure. I.

Mand: All right guys. Thank you so much [00:46:00] for listening.

We'll be back next week. Same time, same place. New story.

Melissa: Have a great

week.

Mand: Bye.

Marker

Melissa: Mandy, you know me. I cannot stick to a morning

routine to save my life.

Mand: it's okay. It really can be tough, but that's why I wanted to tell you about a G one. It's literally one scoop and you're done. You're getting 75 plus vitamins and minerals, plus five probiotic strains, so it replaces the need for a multivitamin, probiotics, and all the extras.

Melissa: So in theory, I love that. But if it tastes like chalky vitamins, I am so

out.

Mand: That's the best part. It doesn't. They've got tropical berry and

citrus. I've been doing berry in the mornings, and I actually am looking forward to it

now.

Melissa: So you're saying I could skip the whole cabinet full of vitamins and just do this one thing. and I'll have something that tastes good and maybe just maybe keep up a routine.

Mand: Exactly. And honestly, if I can stick with a G one, anyone can, plus it's backed by gold standard clinical trials, which most brands don't even invest in.

And for less than $3 a day with a subscription, you're getting more [00:47:00] than $7 worth of daily nutritional support. It's kind of the easiest win ever for your mornings

Melissa: Head to drink ag one.com/moms to get a free welcome kit, including a bottle of vitamin D and five Ag one travel

packs a $76 value when you first

subscribe. That's drink ag one.com/moms.

Marker

Mand: Melissa, you know, I'm a total coffee person. Like, don't even talk to me before I've had my first cup. But regular coffee doesn't always love me back. The jitters, the crash, even that 2:00 PM slump, it's just not working for me.

Melissa: That sounds about right. So what happened, Mandy, did you finally give up coffee

Because I really don't see that

happening.

Mand: Oh, absolutely not. Never. I switch to everyday dose. It's what they call functional coffee real, a hundred percent Arabica coffee, but with extra benefits. It's enhanced with ingredients that support calm, focus, gut health, even skin and hair. Basically, it tastes like the coffee I love, but without the crash or jitters.

Melissa: But let's be real. Does it really taste like coffee or is it one of those healthy [00:48:00] swaps that you just kind of choke down?

Mand: It actually tastes like coffee, smooth, full bodied. And you can pick mild roast

with 45 milligrams of caffeine or medium roast with 90 milligrams, depending on how much pep you want in your step. And honestly, if I've found coffee that doesn't turn me into a gremlin by mid-afternoon, you know, it's the real deal.

Melissa: Exciting news, you can now find everyday dose in target stores across the country. Celebrate with a buy one. Get one deal. Just buy any two everyday dose products at a Target store near you and they'll pay you back for one. Visit everyday dose.com/mysteries for more details.

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