DJ Sbu has come under fire for calling Thabo Bester a “king” over reports he ran a multi-million rand business behind bars. But according to his Virtual Mkhukhu podcast cohost Penuel Mlotshwa, the comments were taken “out of context.”
Bester is a convicted murderer, rapist, and fraudster who faked his death and escape his cell in the Magaung Correctional Centre.
Bester would go on to escape the prison and fake his own death. He is now allegedly in hiding.
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DJ SBU DESCRIBES THABO BESTER AS A ‘KING’
Just days before Thabo Bester and his accomplice Nandipha Magudumana’s arrest last weekend, DJ Sbu and Penuel touched on some of the accusations against Mzansi’s most-wanted man.
In reports by GroundUp, Bester posed as the chairman of a multi-million rand company he called “21st Century Media”. Bester – who ran the business from jail – convinced the public that he was related to Patrice Motsepe and that he lived in New York.
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But instead of condemning the criminal activity, DJ Sbu heaped praise on the savvy scammer. He said: “He was hosting seminars from jail, on Zoom….he’s a king! That’s dope! I wouldn’t say he is a notorious criminal”.
When Penuel told Sbu that Bester was scamming and stealing the public’s money, the latter responded: “How do you know? If your home is the prison, what’s wrong [with that]?”
A CHANGE OF TUNE?
Following backlash from the public, Penuel and Sbu attempted to set the record straight on the Thabo Bester comments.
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Penuel said of Sbu’s rationale: “If there is a prisoner who wants to improve their lives and motivate people, and get paid [for it], there’s nothing wrong with that. But he had not heard the full context of Thabo Bester, that this guy was a rapist, murderer, and scamming people”.
Of the backlash, he added: “You guys refuse to get the context, and you become part of the problem”.
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