Parliament rejects Thabo Bester bid to address SAPS Ad-Hoc Committee

By Johnathan Paoli

Parliament’s South African Police Service (SAPS) Ad-Hoc Committee has rejected an application by convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester to appear before legislators.

During a housekeeping meeting on Monday, the committee received a letter from Bester’s legal team requesting that he be allowed to address the committee directly, claiming his testimony could assist in its work.

“Please note that we have received telephonic instructions from our client. He wishes to appear before the ad hoc committee to provide testimony that he asserts will be useful in advancing the mission and vision of the commission, particularly regarding testimony already adduced concerning him,” the letter stated.

Tetyana told the committee that the application provided little detail about the relevance of his proposed testimony.

“The letter is scant. It does not indicate what contribution he intends to make within the scope of the committee’s terms of reference, it simply states