Pretoria - Former Kempton Park dentist Dr Casper Greeff, who spent nearly 14 years in jail after ordering a hit on his petite blond wife Estelle, may again practise as a dentist.
However, he would have to do so under supervision initially.
The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) eventually gave Greeff the green light to again enter private practice after months of trying to get permission from the medical body.
Greeff, 69, was released on parole in February last year after he had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for his part in the killing. His gardener at the time, Christopher Njeje, and handyman Elliot Masango were each sentenced to life.
Masango claimed Greeff had promised to pay them R60 000.
The HPCSA never refused Greeff permission to practise again, his attorney Julian Knight said, but the body time and again changed its mind regarding the conditions under which he had to practise.
Greeff had to reapply as his registration lapsed while he was in jail. When applying for readmission, the applicant has to declare that he does not have a criminal record.
Greeff made a full disclosure of his position, but it took the HPCSA months to consider his application, Knight said. According to him, the body at first demanded that Greeff had to work in the public sector, under supervision.
Greeff, however, felt he was too old to do this as he had passed the age of retirement.
As the body dragged its heels to get back to Greeff regarding the situation, he last Friday turned to the high court in Pretoria for an urgent order to get clarity on his future as a dentist.
The HPCSA agreed to restore his name to the register of dental practitioners and to allow him to practise in the public sector. However, he has to work for two years under the supervision of another dentist and quarterly reports regarding his performance have to be forwarded to the HPCSA by his supervisor.
The agreement between the parties was made an order of court by Judge Cynthia Pretorius.
Greeff was a sought-after dentist for more than two decades before his arrest in 1999. He maintained throughout his trial that he was innocent and only after his release did he apologise for his part in the killing.
The body of Estelle, the mother of Greeff’s two children, who were still very young at the time - was found in a veld near their Kempton Park mansion.
Her body was wrapped in a blanket and put in the boot of her luxury German car. Her killers had strangled her.
They earlier testified that when they opened the boot to dump her body they found that she was still alive. They then dragged her out by her hair and “sawed” through her throat with a blunt knife.
She pleaded with them to “hurry up” as the pain was too much.
It emerged during the trial that the couple had marital problems and Greeff accused her of having an affair with a prominent politician.
The man testified how Estelle once invited him to her bedroom and when he was stark naked, Greeff jumped out of the cupboard and took pictures of him.
The man said he had to pay him R100 000 not to use the pictures.
Judge Joan Els, who presided over the trial, ordered that the man’s identity not be revealed.
Greeff completed his doctoral degree in Biblical Studies in jail.
Pretoria News