In the true-crime genre, few stories are as captivating and controversial as the saga of Thabo Bester and his accomplice, Nandipha Magudumana. The public is on the edge of its seat, awaiting Netflix's new three-part documentary, Beauty and the Bester, which promises to peel back the layers of a jaw-dropping prison escape and a love story steeped in manipulation and deception. However, the man at the center of the scandal is making a last-ditch effort to stop the release.

The legal battle has reached a fever pitch just days before the documentary's highly anticipated premiere.

Convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester is heading to court in an urgent attempt to stop Netflix from launching its true-crime series, Beauty and the Bester. The case, which is set to be heard by Judge Sulet Potterill in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, seeks to interdict the streaming giant from airing the documentary. Bester claims the series contains inaccurate, defamatory, and unsubstantiated information that violates his and his partner Nandipha Magudumana's constitutional rights.

Thabo Bester, who is currently awaiting trial on numerous charges alongside Nandipha Magudumana, is seeking an interim order to prevent the series from being shown while he pursues a final order to block its screening permanently. Bester has asserted that the production violates his right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, a core tenet of his legal defense.

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Thabo Bester's claims against the documentary's content are based on his review of the recently released trailer.

According to Thabo Bester, he only became aware of the documentary last month after Netflix posted its trailer. He believes the series will cause him irreparable harm and will negatively impact his criminal trial. Bester stated that, from what he could gather from the trailer, the documentary contains commentary and allegations of a criminal nature against him that are not supported by facts, and he was not given the opportunity to respond to these claims.

Netflix, for its part, has widely promoted the series, describing it as a presentation of courtroom footage and never-before-seen investigative material that peels back the layers of a story where love, manipulation, and corruption collide. The trailer features interviews with individuals connected to the case, including Nandipha Magudumana's father, Zolile Cornelius Sekeleni, and media personalities such as Pearl Thusi and Penny Lebyane, who are trying to make sense of the couple's shocking bond and is set to find a spot on Netflix if the case does not go well for Bester.

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Will Thabo Bester succeed in stopping the documentary this time? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.