Thabo Bester and Nandipha Magudumana spawn social media frenzy

The furor over the escape and re-arrest of  Thabo Bester and his girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana has led to the bizarre trend of many people creating their own fake social media accounts in the name of the convicted rapist and murderer. 

There are also several accounts of the Facebook rapist on Twitter and Instagram.

Disgraced doctor Magudumana has a verified Instagram account with a blue tick which actually belongs to her, but there are hardly any other accounts of her on Facebook and Twitter.

The couple, who have been dubbed the Bonnie and Clyde of South Africa, have been dominating the social media platforms since their arrests in Arusha, Tanzania, and arrival back in South Africa.

Sharing Bester’s limelight

According to tech expert Arthur Goldstuck, people want to share the limelight with popular people.

“Whenever someone suddenly appears in the limelight, there tends to be a desire to share the limelight. And its almost as if someone who becomes famous from nowhere gives people who are desperate for validation and idea for how they can also spring from nowhere and get that validation.”

ALSO READ: Tanzanian Police probe how Thabo Bester and Nandipha slipped through checkpoints

Money making

Goldstuck said people also tend to use fake accounts to make a quick buck.

“Most infamous people have multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts pretending to be them from people who simply get a rush out of getting attention and getting likes and retweets. If that works for them, then they are also able to try and generate income from advertising and the like,” Goldstuck added.

Escape

Bester escaped from the G4S-run Mangaung Correctional Centre (MCC) in Bloemfontein in May 2022, after it was initially believed he had committed suicide by setting himself alight in his cell.

The Facebook rapist and his accomplice and lover, disgraced doctor Nandipha Magudumana, who helped him escape, were on the run for about nine months before they were recaptured in Arusha in Tanzania in April.

Bester and Magudumana arrived back in South Africa on Thursday, 13 April, after a delegation consisting of the Department of Justice and police officials departed for the east African country to bring the fugitives back to face trial for the crimes they committed.

ALSO READ: Thabo Bester: ‘Nandipha Magudumana not pregnant’ – Source