Shaik parole: Evidence of irregularities now overwhelming

The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that reports in this morning's newspapers (see here) provide us with the clearest evidence yet that the Durban Westville Correctional Supervision and Parole Board erred in granting Schabir Shaik medical parole.

If these reports are accurate, then medical practitioners made their recommendation for Shaik's parole based on three factors: that Shaik could not stay in hospital indefinitely, that the prison authorities were reluctant to manage him at the prison hospital, and that his condition was ‘suboptimal'. Clearly these factors are no way near sufficient, in terms of Section 79 of the Correctional Services Act, for an inmate to be paroled on medical grounds.

The evidence presented in this morning's reports also raises serious questions about the prison authorities - and, in particular, why they were "reluctant" to manage Shaik at a prison hospital.

For these reasons we believe there is now overwhelming evidence that irregularities may have occurred in granting Shaik medical parole. We trust that the Health Professions Council will take note of these anomalies.

Statement issued by James Selfe MP, Democratic Alliance spokesperson on correctional services, March 10 2009

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