After another child murder, Lamola summons prison officials over parole system ‘flaws’
In the past few weeks, the accused arrested in connection with the murders of Tazne van Wyk in Cape Town and Reagan Gertse in Tulbagh were both on parole.
Ronald Lamola Minister of Justice and Correctional Services can be seen at GCIS during a press briefing , 16 December 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
High-ranking officials in the Department of Correctional Services and secretaries of parole boards have been summoned to an urgent meeting with Justice Minister Ronald Lamola to “address the flaws of the parole system”.
On Tuesday, the department released a statement indicating Lamola was taking action after high-profile child kidnap and murder cases were reported in the Western Cape in the past month.
He echoed the concerns of South Africans around the efficacy of the parole system, it said.
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“This follows cases of parolees allegedly committing heinous crimes in the Western Cape which include the raping and killing of children,” another statement from the department said on Wednesday.
“The two-day meeting will urgently address the systemic flaws in the parole system.”
In the past few weeks, the accused arrested in connection with the murders of Tazne van Wyk in Cape Town and Reagan Gertse in Tulbagh were both on parole.
They had been jailed previously for violent crimes before being released after serving a portion of their sentences.
Parole allows a person convicted of a crime to serve a portion of the sentence on the outside, under strict conditions.
The meeting would review parole granted in the last financial year in the Western Cape and would evaluate whether there had been any failure to comply with the processes and procedures of the Correctional Services Act, the department said.
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