A Johannesburg based businesswoman linked to Facebook rapist and escapee Thabo Bester says she was also a victim of the convicted rapist's scam. In an article by GroundUp, Phumudzo Thenga was named as the sole director of 21st Century Media ? which was behind the "Women in Media" conference, which Bester allegedly ran as a scam while behind bars at the Mangaung Correctional Centre. Bester is reported to have posed as a "chairman" of the media company, wearing a suit in a video call. Thenga has roped in Mabuza Attorneys, who are starting legal proceedings to clear her name. Through her lawyers Thenga distances herself from any criminal activities associated with Tom Motsepe AKA Thabo Bester. "I am a victim in all of this, I was scammed and decided to painfully walk away, now my life will be at risk after this."

HOW THEY MET?

In a statement sent to ZiMoja, Thenga distanced herself from "convicted rapist and con artist, Tom Motsepe now AKA Thabo Bester". "I have had nothing to do with him since the deregistration of 21^st Century in 2018- upon discovering the true facts around who he really is. I am in fact a victim of his scams." Thenga states that she met Bester in 2017 after someone who introduced himself as Tom Motsepe made contact with her through social media platform, Instagram. "This person showed interest on the community work I was doing and claimed to be based in the UK and USA," she says. "He also claimed to be from the well-known Motsepe family, thereafter he made various business proposals, one of them being creating 21^st Century Media, the second proposal was for rolling out ARVs to disadvantaged communities through Dr. Nandipha." added Thenga.

DOING BUSINESS?

The first business "21^st century media" was started in 2017 where Thenga was a sole director as hoodwinked by  "Tom Motsepe". Thenga says, in the statement, that Bester organised meetings with high-level legit business people with ease ?removing all suspicion of anything untoward. "In summary, Tom Motsepe's modus operandi was to pretend to be a shareholder of international brands such as 21^th Century Fox, Sky digital etc. along which he hoodwinked Thenga into opening purported "local subsidiaries" of these established and well-known international brands," the statement says. "In 2018 when approached by lawyers representing the real 21^st Century, her suspicions were being confirmed. The matter was settled with the lawyers and all IP that was in the registration process was withdrawn."

 FALLING VICTIM TO HIS SCAMS

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Later on, Thenga says she discovered through some employees who had started digging that Tom Motsepe was in fact Thabo Bester and was in prison. She confronted "Tom" , who tearfully confirmed that he had been in prison all along and conducted all the correspondence from behind bars.  "When the reality of the scam dawned on her she decided to write the whole thing off as a bad experience." Thenga's legal team says that she deregistered all the related companies, and accepted all the liabilities associated with the activities of the company thereafter, and continued with her existing and new business ventures to this day. "It must be noted that as we all think she scammed people, she was actually scammed. She did not receive any monies from anyone instead she lost money, including the monies she paid to "Optimum". Up to this point no one has come forth providing evidence of any monies they paid to her. This matter is already five years old and was behind her until she received an inquiry from "Ground up" this past week accusing her of affiliation with "Tom Motsepe", and maybe his escape.