Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
The security company that is managing the private prison in Mangaung from where Thabo Bester escaped has come under fire from MPs for not showing up at the meeting to explain the events that led to the escape.
But Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said he was willing to come back to the oversight committee after the meeting was postponed.
The chairperson of the portfolio committee on justice and correctional services, Bulelani Magwanishe, said he had received a letter from G4S that it would not join the meeting on Tuesday in Parliament because of contractual obligations unless it was summoned by Parliament.
But MPs were up in arms and adamant that G4S could not dictate to Parliament how to conduct its business, and said it needed to explain the events around Bester.
Their lawyer, Ben Winks, who was present in the meeting, said G4S had not been invited to the meeting but had incidentally heard about the meeting on Tuesday.
ANC, DA, EFF and ACDP parliamentarians said it was in the interest of justice that the meeting with Lamola, Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale, the Inspecting Judge of Prisons Edwin Cameron, and senior officials in the Department of Correctional Services and SAPS be postponed until G4S gives its side of the story first.
They said it would be wrong to go ahead with the meeting without hearing what transpired in May last year when Bester escaped from G4S first.
Lamola said he was willing to come back to the committee on the date to be determined by MPs.
“I also share the sentiments of the committee that this is a very serious matter. As honourable members are aware, Parliament is in recess. I had to sacrifice to come here. I had to take out our commitments for today. Today I have a meeting with the president. It was our allocated date in terms of our MTSF (Medium Term Strategic Framework) targets for all Ministers that the president is meeting individually since the beginning of the week. Today is the date of the Security Cluster. The president agreed that we could meet later, at 8pm. I am also disappointed we could not proceed. I want to assure the committee to come at any date that you summon us because we believe it is in the public interest that the public knows what we knew, what happened and what is going on in the capture of the fugitive that has escaped from our facility,” said Lamola.
ANC MP Nomathemba Maseko-Jele said the women who were victims of Bester must be living in fear, not knowing where he is.
She said the department was also wrong not to inform the victims last year that Bester had escaped.
She said it was tragic that the victims of Bester and other women in the country must be living in fear because he is out on the loose.
Glynnis Breytenbach of the DA said they were outraged that G4S had not come to the committee.
“They thumbed their noses at the committee of Parliament, which they are accountable to. They demand to be summoned to be here as if they have something to hide. The victims of this person are out there without protection,” said Breytenbach.
Committee chairperson Bulelani Magwanishe said they would ask the Speaker to summon G4S.
He said if people were invited, they had no option not to attend.
He said the date for the next meeting would be arranged in consultation with the Speaker.
“It is in the interest of finding the truth that G4S must be the ones making the presentation and be engaged with the presentation, then we will be able to write a report to the House and recommendations on what needs to happen,” said Mangwanishe.
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