Goldin attackers should not get parole

Reports this morning indicate that two men involved in the murder of actor Brett Goldin and his friend Richard Bloom could be out on parole by July (see Cape Times report). 

The brutal execution-style murder of Goldin and Bloom by Jade Wyngaard and Nurshad Davids devastated not only his family and friends but also shocked the international theatre community, and grievously damaged South Africa's reputation.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that people found guilty of such horrific and violent crimes, even if they were eligible for parole, should serve a very long sentence before they could be considered for release on parole and then only once we are satisfied that they have been properly rehabilitated.

The DA accepts that Parole Boards are independent bodies which make their decisions based on the seriousness of the offence and the degree to which offenders have been rehabilitated. However, we also have no doubt that a substantial number of the public would find their release on parole an aberration of justice.

Quite frankly, the sentence handed down on Wyngaard and Davids was inappropriately lenient, given the nature of the crime for which they were convicted.

Granting parole to these offenders at this stage will send an entirely inappropriate message. It would signify that we do not regard cold-blooded murder as an offence for which a long period of imprisonment is the only fitting punishment.

South Africans need to feel safe in their homes and on the streets. They need to know that criminals will be caught and be punished.

For all these reasons, parole should not be granted at this stage.

Statement issued by James Selfe MP, DA Shadow Minister of Correctional Service, May 21 2012

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