Fees must fall activist Kanya Cekeshe and Abathembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo could be out of prison very soon after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced remissions of sentence would be granted to a number of prisoners.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has since provided details on the remissions of sentence. President Ramaphosa announced the remissions of sentence at a Reconciliation Day event at Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal.
Watch Minister Lamola provide the full details of the remissions:
According to the Justice and Correctional Services Department, the last special remissions were granted under former President Jacob Zuma in 2012 on Freedom Day. 45 033 offenders were remitted.
19 695 of them were sentenced offenders while 25 338 were parolees.
Former President Thabo Mbeki also granted special remissions to 65 837 offenders on the 30th of May 2005. 31 865 of them were sentenced offenders and 33 972 were probationers and parolees who were released over a period of three months.
157 of the offenders who were granted special remission under former President Mbeki re-offended.
112 of the offenders who were granted special remissions under former President Zuma also re-offended.- Additional reporting by Mercedes Besent
