The AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo is a free man after being released from prison.
Dalindyebo’s spokesperson Mthunzi Ngonyama has confirmed that he was released from prison Sunday night.
The king was imprisoned in December 2015 after the High Court in the Eastern Cape sentenced him to 15 years in jail for seven counts of kidnapping, three of assault, three of arson and one of defeating the ends of justice.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein reduced the sentence by three years.
The king’s release comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last Monday that he had been granted a special remission of sentence, which is usually granted to specific categories of sentenced offenders, probationers and parolees.
Ngonyama says the remission means that Dalindyebo’s sentence has been reduced by 12 months under certain conditions.
The Justice and Correctional Services Department has confirmed that the AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo has been released on parole.
Department spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri says the king’s release comes with conditions.
“After having served a minimum requirement of his sentence, the Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola during the remission announcement did state that king Dalindyebo did qualify for parole as of October 2019. It is therefore under that reason that he has been released to serve parole under community services correction. The correctional Services board has got conditions and the king is required to comply with those conditions like any other individual who has been released to the society under parole.”
