Nandipha Magudumana (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Sekeleni; otherwise known as Dr Nandipha) is a South African

medical practitioner A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

and

celebrity doctor Celebrity doctors include physicians, medical professionals, people with the title doctor, and some with the nickname "doctor" who have extensive media exposure. Some may have a secondary role as an entertainer. Examples of celebrity doctors inclu ...

born in Bizana, Eastern Cape, and raised in Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal. She graduated from the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

. Her

medical license A medical license is an occupational license that permits a person to legally practice medicine. In most countries, a person must have a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a government ...

was revoked, and she's imprisoned in the Free State.

Early and personal life

Originating in

Sandton Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sa ...

, given the birth name Nandipha Sekeleni, she was born on 15 September 1989 in

Bizana, Eastern Cape Bizana, also known by its official name Mbizana (since 2013), is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality. Winnie Mandela, ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, was born here ...

, and raised in

Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal Port Edward is a small resort town situated on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and lies on the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. It is situated on the R61 road (future N2 Wild Coast Toll Route) between Port Shep ...

. She was married in 2013 to a

medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

, Mkhuseli Magudumana, they had two children. The couple entered a

civil marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Countries maintaining a popul ...

and although they are no longer together, according to the

Department of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

database, they are still registered as married. She completed her primary and high school studies at Port Edward Primary School and Port Shepstone High School respectively. She went on to study

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and graduated from the

. She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences in

Biomedical Sciences Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbio ...

, Bachelor of Surgery and

Bachelor of Medicine A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

Career

After she furthered her studies, with her qualifications she worked at the Edenvale Hospital in 2014 for a year, then later moved to Far East Rand Hospital where she became a highly sought-after physician specialising in

anesthetics An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into tw ...

and administering

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the Human skin, skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A List of dermatologists, ...

, plastic surgery, and medications. In 2017, Magudumana founded Optimum Medical Aesthetics Solutions, a facility that offers procedures for cosmetic surgery in Morningside, Sandton. She treated high profile clients including the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

Zozibini Tunzi in 2019. Magudumana made the ''Mail & Guardian'' 200 Young South Africans finalists, SADC Top 100 Young Leaders, and Top 20 Most Influential Young South Africans lists in 2018. In 2021, Magudumana's medical license expired. In May 2023, the South African political party Democratic Alliance reached out to the

Health Professions Council of South Africa The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is the statutory body regulating specific healthcare professions within South Africa. The council oversees healthcare practice, establishes standards for education and training, and upholds ...

for revocation of her medical license because the doctor failed to pay her annual fees in April 2021. In 2021, Magudumana and Thabo Bester co-founded Arum Properties, a

construction company Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

. ''GroundUp'' used a March 2023 piece to allege that they used the firm to scam people, and that it convinced numerous people to pay millions of rands for renovations and construction projects of which they never delivered.

Legal issues

Magudumana was arrested in April 2023, in

Arusha Arusha is a city in Tanzania. The city is the Capital city, capital of the Arusha Region. It has a population of 617,631 people.

, Tanzania alongside Bester. She was deported to South Africa, where she has been imprisoned at the Bizzah Makhate Correctional Centre in

Kroonstad Kroonstad ( in Afrikaans) is a town in Free State, South Africa, consisting of the following suburbs: Brentpark, Constantia, Constantia Park, Dawid Malanville, Elandia, Gelukwaarts, Goedgedacht, Heuningspruit, Industria, Jordania, Koek ...

, Free State. A trial for Magudumana and Bester was set to begin on 10 February 2025 at the Bloemfontein High Court. However, it was delayed and rescheduled to 21 July 2025. On 16 May 2025, the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Magudumana's bid to have her arrest and deportation in Tanzania declared unlawful.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magudumana, Nandipha Living people 1989 births South African women physicians People from Bizana

Early and personal life

Career

Legal issues

See also

References

External links