Pretoria - The socialite doctor and girlfriend of escaped convict Thabo Bester Dr Nandipha Magudumana, is not currently registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the organisation said.
Speaking to News24, the HPCSA said Magudumana has been suspended from practising as a doctor since April 2021 as she has not paid her annual membership fee which allows her to practice medicine in the country.
The organisation said if Dr Magudumana was found to be practising medicine, she would be committing a crime and could be arrested and prosecuted accordingly by authorities.
The HPCSA said Magudumana had been suspended "in terms of Section 19A(1)(b) of the Health Professions Act for failure to pay annual fees when they were due on 1 April 2021".
According to a search on the HPCSA website, Magudumana studied medicine at the Wits University in 2013.
She has been operating Optimum Medical Aesthetic Solutions in Sandton, and it is unclear if her services could be deemed as practising medicine.
However, the HPSCA told News24 that they could not take any action against Magudumana because she was no longer a registered doctor, however, she could be prosecuted if it was found that she had been practising as a doctor while not registered.
Meanwhile, Magudumana did not open her practice despite a notice on her Instagram announcing she would resume her duties on Wednesday.
Magudumana’s Optimum Medical Aesthetic Solutions at Green Park Corner in Morningside, Sandton, has been shut since news broke out about Bester’s bold escape from prison.
According to Timeslive report , a member of Green Park Corner management stated that they attempted to reach Magudumana several times, but her phone remained turned off.
Magudumana's father spoke to eNCA and expressed concern about his daughter, who informed him that she had gone into hiding.
“I don’t know where she is...One time, she was in touch with me when this fracas started... She said she’ in hiding,’’ he said.
Her brother, Nkosinathi Sekeleni, the man who exposed Magudumana’s relationship with the infamous Facebook rapist, has declined to be drawn into commentary on the investigation.
Sekeleni also clarified that he was not a whistleblower and that he was concerned for his and his family's safety.
Magudumana and Bester have gone into hiding after abandoning the R12 million mansion that they were renting in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.
IOL