DA welcomes suspension of Correctional Services officials involved in Waterkloof Two release debacle
National Chief Deputy Commissioner of Correctional Services Zach Modise announced today that the chairperson, deputy chairperson and secretary of the Zonderwater Parole Board, along with the Chairperson of the Case Management Committees of Medium A and Medium B have been suspended pending a disciplinary process.
The suspensions relate to the on-going internal investigations over the erroneous recommendation by the Zonderwater correctional supervision and parole board to convert the custodial sentences of convicted murderers Reinach Tiedt and Gert van Schalkwyk - two of the so-called "Waterkloof Four" - to correctional supervision.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the suspension of these officials holding that their actions were procedural and quite possibly illegal. The DA also welcomes the announcement that the department will be taking the decision to release the two inmates on review and we will follow this case with great interest.
Mr Modise undertook to take the necessary steps to improve the administration of parole and the DA will hold him to his word.
This saga has demonstrated the serious gaps in the management and discipline of the Department of Correctional Services. It is quite clear that nobody in the department knew about the application made to release the two inmates and that no clear instruction had apparently been communicated around procedures to be followed when offenders who were convicted at the same time and serve the same sentence need to be considered together.
The premature release of these offenders has brought the parole system in disrepute and undermines the deterrent nature of imprisonment to the extent that the court relied on confusing interpretations of what constituted a "release date". This matter may have to be placed beyond doubt by amending the Criminal Procedure Act.
Statement issued by James Selfe MP, DA Shadow Minister of Correctional Services, March 13 2012
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