By: Thapelo Ramorobi.
They say love is blind, but to what extent will it remain blind? The Netflix documentary Beauty and the Beast tries to uncover the truth behind the most notorious prison break in South Africa and how Thabo Bester left the South African justice system with its pants down.
We are well aware of the story of Thabo Bester, how he ran the most elaborate scams from prison and how he remained undetected by police and the general public for over a year after his prison break.
While most of us wondered how Dr Nandipha Magudumana – a well-known and loved doctor – found herself with such an illusive man, the Netflix documentary uncovers that.
With Showmax having released its version called Tracking Thabo Bester in 2024, it sure covers quite a lot more than the Netflix version, Beauty and the Bester. I find the Netflix documentary biased and trying to push a narrative of Dr Nandipha as a victim of Thabo Bester, while Showmax remains objective to the story.
Netflix could have done a deeper investigation into the case, probably found more evidence of Dr Nandipha being a victim, and would have brought in more psychologists like Showmax did. With the series only becoming available to Netflix now, there is a lot more it could have covered.
In a nutshell, Beauty and the Bester was a disappointment; it failed to give a full and objective account of the new Bonnie and Clyde.
