The man who has become known as the "Facebook rapist" allegedly went by aliases including: Thomas Bester, Tom Bester, Thabo Tom Bester, Tom Kelly, Thomas Kelly Bester, Thomas Berter, TK, Thomas Kelly Young, Kelly Young, Thomas Magagula, Thabo Magagula, Kelly Johnstone, Rufus Mahopo, Tom Rufus Reddy. The man who has become known as the "Facebook rapist" allegedly went by aliases including: Thomas Bester, Tom Bester, Thabo Tom Bester, Tom Kelly, Thomas Kelly Bester, Thomas Berter, TK, Thomas Kelly Young, Kelly Young, Thomas Magagula, Thabo Magagula, Kelly Johnstone, Rufus Mahopo, Tom Rufus Reddy.
The man known as the “Facebook rapist” is so convincing he managed to fool managers of the ZAR Lounge in Green Point into believing he was an ANC member planning a birthday party for Nelson Mandela.
He also got managers to put him in contact with Cape Town models he took to Johannesburg, where he stole from them and left them stranded.
The man, who uses the name Thomas Bester, one of at least 13 aliases, is suspected of being responsible for the murder of a Johannesburg model in Milnerton last month, the rape of a model in Durban in August, and other crimes.
ZAR Lounge’s general manager, Veron Watson, said Bester contacted the club in May, saying he was an ANC member and wanted to book the venue.
“He was so adamant and said he’s planning Mandela’s birthday bash. I had to put him in contact with other guys. He wanted ZAR’s bank account so he could deposit R40 000 into it, but I told him that’s not how we work. He was a smooth talker.”
Watson realised Bester was wanted by police after seeing his photograph in a newspaper.
He said Bester had also been looking for about 10 women to do promotional work. He put Bester in touch with someone who knew young models. Bester had picked the women up outside ZAR.
One of the models, in a written account of what happened, said on Monday she and about 10 other young women were taken to Johannesburg in a bus.
She said they initially went to a guest house in Rivonia, but left after Bester had been approached by police.
The manager of the guest house, who declined to be named, said staff had recognised Bester as a customer who had not settled a R2 000 bill last year. “We phoned police. When officers got here he acted so polite and embarrassed. He apologised, (paid) and left.”
The model said Bester told them the police had mistaken him for someone else and other accommodation for them had been arranged. The models were taken to a hotel in Sandton and told to go to a restaurant and have food and drinks for which Bester would pay.
“Thomas said he works for the ANC, he’s in communications and that this function we were going to promote was for the ANC,” the model said.
Bester left the models at a restaurant where a woman, in charge of them, said they needed to hand in their cellphones and laptops so these “could be scanned for security reasons for the ANC function the next day”.
The model said that hours later they realised Bester was missing along with their cellphones and laptops. “Everyone was panicking. Our bill was R3 900 and we … couldn’t pay for it.”
ZAR footed the bill.
Anton Booysen, KwaZulu-Natal head of the Psychologically Motivated Crimes Unit, said Bester had called him and asked if he could negotiate a prison sentence. “In the end, he said he’d rather kill himself.”
- Cape Times
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
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