• Thabo Bester's lawyers say the Netflix documentary Beauty and the Bester makes false and damaging claims and must be stopped.

• They argue Bester was not given a chance to reply to allegations, calling the film unfair, defamatory and nothing more than character assassination.

Convicted rapist and killer Thabo Bester is trying to block a Netflix documentary about him and his partner, disgraced doctor Nandipha Magudumana.

The film, Beauty and the Bester, is set to air on 12 September. But Bester's lawyers said they have been instructed to urgently file papers in the High Court to stop the release.

According to the legal team, the documentary makes "serious, unfounded and defamatory" claims. They said it cannot be trusted for accuracy, fairness or legitimacy.

They also argued that Bester was not given a chance to reply to the allegations. They described the documentary as a character assassination dressed up as a film.

Bester and Magudumana have made headlines since April 2023, when he pulled off a dramatic escape from Mangaung Prison. The pair then fled the country before being caught.

The lawyers said the case must be heard quickly because the film is due to go live in less than a month.