Thabo Bester Net Worth in Rands

A notorious South African criminal, Thabo Bester, caught public attention, and not for good reasons. I am going to explore how much is the net worth of Thabo Bester, his total assets, and his income sources. Therefore, keep reading to find out what this individual’s income comes from.

Thabo Bester Net Worth

• Complete Name: Thabo Bester
• Profession: Criminal
• Salary Per Month: Unknown
• Estimated Net Worth: R3 billion
• Other Income Sources: Arum Properties, 21-st Century Media

Thabo Bester, whilst in jail, disclosed to top lawyers that he has R3 billion worth of assets that the Asset Forfeiture Unit seized.  However, there is no evidence whether this information is true. Moreover, while he was in prison, Bester, along with his celebratory doctor girlfriend, operated a company known as “Arum Properties,” through which they scammed millions of Rands from customers.

It is undeniably a fact that most of his income and wealth came from dubious means and illegal acts. Furthermore, there is also no information available regarding his salary. However, if what he said about his net worth (R3 Billion) is true, then he is a wealthy man.

Thabo Bester Career

Thabo Bester, born on 13 June 1986, is notoriously known as a “Facebook Rapist” and gained attention when he escaped from prison in 2022. He is a notorious person widely recognized for his criminal activities and con artistry. He started criminal activities at a pretty young age; when he was only 19, he was arrested for fraud.

After his release, he used Facebook as a platform to lure in young women looking for modeling jobs and then raped them. Additionally, he was also convicted of murder after killing his own girlfriend, Nomfundo Tyhulu, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, despite going to prison, he kept running a scam business with his accomplice (Dr Nandipha Magudumana).

Moreover, in May 2022, Thabo Bester, by faking his own death, successfully escaped from jail. He, along with his girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, were on the run from police for about one year before they were caught again. While on the run, they ran a scam construction company called “Arum Properties.”

What are Thabo Bester’s Sources of Income?

Arum Properties (Construction Company)

As I mentioned above, while Thabo Bester was on the run, he ran a construction company known as “Arum Properties,” from which he earned about millions of Rand. The exact amount is not disclosed, but according to multiple news reports, he was living a luxurious life while on the run. They were able to manipulate customers into giving them millions of rands for construction projects, but the products were never delivered.

21st Century Media

Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Service (JICS), during its parliamentary presentation on the escape of Bester, stated that he was one of the “powerful” figures in the jail and was incredibly wealthy. He became rich during his imprisonment because of his involvement with the drug business ( selling drugs). According to authorities, he was quite an influential figure with an enormous amount of money in his pockets.

The crazy thing is that while he was in prison, he ran a company called 21st Century Media. His company inauguration ceremony was held at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton in a flashy style. Furthermore, this ceremony was attended by multiple Johannesburg high-society and celebrities, including Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Amanda Du Pont.

Tom Motsepe

He used an alias of “Tom Motsepe” and attended the inauguration ceremony via video call. Not a single attendee knew the fact that the “Chairperson” was calling from the prison while adorned in a luxurious watch and suit. He kept carrying out his scams and fraudulent activities from inside the Mangaung Correctional Center (prison) and earned a significant amount of money.

The employees of 21-Century Media were manipulated into believing that they would be working for an industry-leading company. Moreover, to make his company more credible, he also created a detailed background for “Tom Motsepe.” He described “Tom” as a person with an innovative and strategic mindset and deep knowledge of managing a successful international brand.

His “Tom” profile possesses a Business Administration and Management degree from the University of Cape Town and also a Bachelor’s Degree in Investment and Securities from Harvard University. In addition, on the basis of the profile, “Tom” owned 12.9% of 20th Century Fox and 33.5% of Viacom and also assumed a role at UBS Financial Services in Switzerland. This is obviously a false claim and ridiculous.

Thabo Bester was able to run such a detailed business from behind bars and was able to earn millions of money. His income from these scams contributed a lot to his overall net worth and financial success.

Thabo Bester Assets

Thabo Bester claimed that he possesses R3 billion of assets that the Asset Forfeiture Unit seized. Most of his assets are not disclosed to the public, so I am going to share with you what I found regarding his possessions and assets.

Cars

As per his statement, the assets that were seized include at least 14 cars (this is what Thabo Bester claims). Some of the cars that were seized are as follows:

• Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 (R9.5 Million)
• Bentley Continental GT V8 (R9 Million)
• Bentley Bentayga W12 (R7 Million)

Moreover, Thabo Bester also claims that his different bank accounts, which contain a significant amount of money (Rands and Dollars), were also frozen by the AFU.

• ABSA account (R872 393 984 91)
• HSBC account (R43 848 44 12)
• NatWest account (R253 499 120 02)

Residence and Mansions

According to news reports, Thabo Bester was definitely living a life of luxury after his escape from the Mangaung Correctional Center (prison). It is not known whether he owns any properties, but he did rent a lot of luxurious properties while on the run. He rented multiple properties in different places, including Sanddown, Morning Side, and Hyde Park.

Other

Thabo Bester also owns an R1.5 million watch that was discovered after he escaped with his girlfriend from their rented house. In addition to this, after he was arrested again, Bester claims that most of his items were seized, which includes:

• Tom Ford sunglasses (R9, 500) and watches, including Rolex (R10 Million+)
• HP Laptop (R41,000)
• Louis Vuitton laptop bag (R51,000)
• Marriage ring (R350,000)
• Samsung Z4 cellphone (R40,000)
• iPhone 14 Pro Max (R36,000)
• Samsung S23 (R32,000)
• Macbook Pro 16 (R34,600)
• Macbook Air 16 (R12,500)
• Blueberry card holder and sunglasses (R27,000)
• Polo bag with clothes (R750,000)

Besides the items mentioned above, his cash in foreign currencies was also taken. The cash seized is as follows:

• 100,000 Swiss Francs
• 500,000 (Euros)
• 1.4 million (Zambian Kwacha)
• 7.2 million (Tanzanian Shillings)
• R 295,000
• 36,000 (Dollars)

If all of his claims are true, then he is certainly a wealthy prisoner with millions of net worth. However, this information is yet to be proven, but he is truly a man who loves luxury.

In essence, Thabo Bester is a notorious killer and rapist in South Africa that has been sentenced to life in prison. However, he escaped from the prison in May 2022 and was on the run for about a year and a half. His net worth is estimated to be R3 billion, as per his claims.

His sources of income include the sale of drugs and engaging in scams. While in prison, he ran a 21st-century Media Company, using it as an elaborate front for scamming high-society individuals. Moreover, this company inauguration ceremony was attended by Johannesburg high society and celebrities.

He, along with his girlfriend, also ran Arum Properties after escaping from prison, a construction company through which they scammed millions of money out of their customers. The total income he earned from these companies is not disclosed to the public, but it sure did contribute to his financial success. Moreover, according to certain South African news reports, Bester, after escaping from prison, lived a pretty luxurious life.