I paid millions to work with 'Oprah Winfrey' — How celebrity Dr Pashy was 'swindled' by Thabo Bester

Celebrity doctor Dr Mmereka “Pashy” Ntshani alleges she was swindled out of millions by convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and Dr Nandipha Magudumana to work with US media mogul Oprah Winfrey on a women empowerment initiative. 

“I gave Magudumana permission to give TK Nkoana (one of Bester's aliases) my number and he called me. He said he was TK Nkoana, a South African businessman who’s now based in the US, and he said he had good relationships with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, as he was part of the team that was organising her coming to SA for the Global Citizens,” she told SABC News.

Ntshani said Bester sent her bogus contracts allegedly signed by Winfrey and her TV network OWN. He also claimed US TV personality Gail King would be one of the speakers during the initiative. 

She said Bester swindled her out of millions of rand through Vibes Africa Incorporated International, a company allegedly owned by Magudumana. 

“I can’t at this point disclose how much was paid because this matter is under investigation and the police are checking the movement of that money. I’m still in consultation with the lawyers in terms of the criminal charge. I laid a criminal case and we are busy with the civil case to try recover the funds. I can confirm that it’s millions.”

Sunday Times reported Magudumana was found with four fake passports, two of which belonged to Ntshani, when she was arrested in Tanzania. 

In April, home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi detailed how Ntshani had lost her passport. The doctor said statements made during the briefing defamed her.

Last month, Motsoaledi partly retracted a previous statement. 

“I said in 2019 she reported to police that the passport was stolen and she deposed an affidavit. That is the part I was wrong about. I stand by everything else I said. Dr Ntshani deposed an affidavit with the police in 2019 and declared her passport was stolen. This is the passport which was due to expire in 2022 and was recently found in Tanzania on Dr Nandipha,” said the minister. 

“On the strength of this passport she acquired a new passport, which will expire in 2029. On March 27 2023 she deposed another affidavit with police but this time stating she gave her recent valid passport to Dr Nandipha and a Mr TK Nkoana (the assumed name of Thabo Bester) as they were going to apply for a working citizenship in the US.

“I accept Dr Ntshani did not depose an affidavit when she applied for a passport in 2019 and there are no conflicting versions in the affidavits deposed by her this year. I therefore retract the above statements and subsequent words to that effect.

“The statements were based on the information given to me at the time. The statements conflated the expired passport, the 2019 passport and recent passport applied for in April 2023.”

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