Home

Correctional Services instituting full review of parole system: Lamola

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, says his department is already instituting a full review of the parole system in the country.

This follows national outrage after the murder of 8-year-old Tazne van Wyk who was allegedly killed by a neighbour who was out on parole. The suspect was released on parole in 2018.

The man absconded from parole a year before Van Wyk went missing near her home in Elsies River, Cape Town.

In the video below, Tazne van Wyk’s family says they are shocked at her death

Minister Lamola says part of the review will look into professionalising the parole process.

“We sympathise with the outrage from the community and it is worrying us because it affects the system of rehabilitation. It does show from our system that there are some systematic weaknesses particularly in the province of the Western Cape. Throughout the country, there is some stability in terms of the system and we are in the process of review. But if you can look into the whole system, there is a huge number also that is contributing positively to society. The lapse in the system is that we need to professionalise the board processes in terms of the people who help us to make the decisions,” says Lamola.

In the video below, Minister Ronald Lamola explains the tracking of parolees

DA wants answers

The Democratic Alliance says it will embark on a full review of the entire parole system by submitting parliamentary questions to the minister of justice and correctional services.

The DA’s interim leader, John Steenhuizen says, “We demand answers on the conditions under which perpetrators are granted parole, government’s policy regarding the release and how parolees are monitored once they are released on a daily basis across SA. Our country is confronted by the devastating news that mothers, daughters and sisters have lost their lives due to the gross negligence in the parole system.”

Author

MOST READ