‘He Said His Name Was Neo’: Happy Simelane On Meeting Thabo Bester

With Thabo Bester and his accused accomplice Nandipha Magudumana finally apprehended and facing criminal charges, many members of the public are speaking out about their interactions with the “Facebook Rapist.” Happy Simelane, a businesswoman and influencer, is one of them.

The former Tammy Taylor franchise owner was identified as a woman in a viral video showing Bester earlier this week.

Simelane, on the other hand, maintains she had no idea she was sitting across from a convicted rapist, murderer, and fraudster.

Speaking to The South African, Happy Simelane said of the video: “I can’t believe I shared a table with that notorious man…I’m shocked

“When I had a meeting with him in January, I didnt even know it was Thabo Bester. He said his name was Neo from iMedia”.

Happy – declining to go into details of her meeting with Bester – added: “I thank God I never fell for his tricks as I picked up many red flags”.

Happy Simelane – the woman who accused Tammy Taylor South African owners Mel and Peet Viljoen of trying to kill her – was confirmed as the woman spotted in a viral video starring Thabo Bester.

Last month, news broke that Thabo Bester was indeed alive and on the run with Nandipha Magudumana. The couple were snapped shopping at a Woolworths store in Johannesburg, just two months after his prison escape.

Bester sported longer hair and a pair of sunglasses in the viral images.

In the latest video, Bester sports a similar look. The criminal mastermind was known to lure women he had met on social media under the pretence of being a modelling and talent scout.

In the clip, Bester is heard saying to Simelane: “The idea was to find people producing luxury content on social media.”

In another clip, Bester appears to shoot a clip of Simelane on his cellphone.

Thabo Bester never stopped working , here is a video of him trying to scam someone he had that long hair from the woolies picture pic.twitter.com/Iu0h2QH94U

— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) April 11, 2023

What an actor pic.twitter.com/ysaZIomt52

— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) April 11, 2023