News24.com | Thabo Bester: Parliamentary briefing on prison escape postponed as G4S fails to appear, citing law

Tuesday's parliamentary portfolio committee briefing on the circumstances around Thabo Bester's escape from the Mangaung Correctional Centre had to be postponed because security company G4S did not arrive.

The briefing with the ministries of police and justice and correctional services was called a week ago, and was meant to commence with a presentation by G4S, the administrator of the Mangaung prison from which Bester escaped on 4 May 2022.

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Gratitude Magwanishe, the chairperson of the justice and correctional services portfolio committee, opened the briefing by reading from a letter sent by G4S, explaining its absence.

According to the letter, G4S could not appear before the committee without being issued a formal invitation. It said it was bound by statutory obligations in the Correctional Services Act and was therefore unable to issue public statements on the events of 3 May, or its cooperation with the subsequent investigations.

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It said an official invitation would mitigate the obligations.

Much to the annoyance of the committee, the letter added that the private security company would be able to come to a hearing after Easter.

After comments from those present, Magwanishe said G4S would need to present first, and thus the meeting had to be postponed.

He said the company would be summoned to appear on a date determined by the committee and the speaker of the National Assembly within the week, and that they would not be dictated by G4S on a date.

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