By Rachel Mohamed Najwa Dirk, who was found guilty of her role in the death of her former husband Taliep Petersen, is being considered for parole after eighteen years behind bars with the Petersen family forgiving her to set themselves free. This comes after the extended program of the Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD), which formed part of the parole proceedings at Pollsmoor prison this week. Dirk admitted to […]
Correctional Services is reviewing the parole of former Cape Town top cop Marius van der Westhuizen, who was jailed for shooting his children in 2006. They were 21 months, five years and 16 years old. Van der Westhuizen was due for release next week after serving 13 years of his 24-year sentence. The department granted him parole last month despite his former wife Charlotte’s objections that she fears for her […]
World-renowned Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was released on parole on Friday after serving just under a decade behind bars for the murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. “The Department of Correctional Services [DCS] is able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024. He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home,” stated the DCS in a statement […]
At least 101 of the more than 16,000 inmates released last year as part of a special remission programme are in trouble with the law again. The programme was designed to relieve overcrowding in prisons across the country. But Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has revealed to Parliament that some of those released did not even manage to steer clear of the law for a week before being re-arrested. By the […]
The family and attorney of jailed Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius insist that is he is eligible for parole. The family and Julian Knight are arguing that the Correctional Services Department and the parole board have their dates wrong. However, the department says Pistorius has not yet served his minimum sentence in accordance with a ruling of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein in November 2017. Under South African law, […]
Parole expert Julian Knight says the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has made clear the conditions under which a prisoner should be released on medical parole. On Monday, the SCA upheld a High Court order which declared former President Jacob Zuma’s release on medical parole irrational, unlawful and unconstitutional. The SCA also ruled that Zuma must return to the Estcourt Correctional Centre because he did not lawfully complete his sentence. Knight […]
LOCAL The City of Cape Town's Safety and Security Directorate's JP Smith has called for an enquiry into the status of hundreds of drug arrest cases made by officials over the past few months. It comes after the Public Prosecutor reportedly released a suspect arrested for possession of mandrax and tik, because the case was "trivial and stood no reasonable chance of prosecution". A parolee busted with drugs in […]
Former Paralympian gold medallist Oscar Pistorius is set to spend another festive season in jail. He will only be eligible for parole in March next year. The hopes of Pistorius to spend the festive season at home have been dashed after the Supreme Court of Appeal said he was not yet eligible for parole. Pistorius is serving a 13-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. He shot dead […]
A knife-wielding prison parolee was shot dead, allegedly by a 70-year-old pensioner, after he broke into a home in Mpumalanga. Joseph Vilakazi, 39, was previously linked to rape and house robbery cases, about 14 housebreaking and theft cases and assault with intention to cause grievous bodily harm, said police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli. He had been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and was out on parole. The circumstances around the […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
