Correctional Services Minister, Dr Pieter Groenewald, has referred the decision to grant parole to the infamous Griekwastad murderer to the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board (CSPRB) - for review.
The offender is serving a 20-year sentence for the 2012 murder of his mother, father and sister, as well as rape.
The Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) in Upington had granted the 29-year-old parole.
He was a teenager at the time the crimes were committed and cannot be named.
“The CSPB in Upington approved the offender’s parole placement with effect from 25 March 2026 until the expiry of his sentence on 13 March 2034. Following careful consideration of the matter, the Minister has resolved that the decision be subjected to a review process in accordance with the provisions of the Correctional Services Act, 111 of 1998.
“Accordingly, the parole placement decision taken by the CSPB in Upington is suspended, pending the outcome of the review by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board, which is required to consider the full record of proceedings and either confirm or substitute the decision in accordance with the Act,” the department said in a statement.
Section 75(8) of the Correctional Services Act states: Any decision of a Correctional Supervision and Parole Board is final, except that the Minister, the National Commissioner or the Inspecting Judge may refer the matter to the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board for reconsideration, and pending the outcome of the decision of the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board, the decision of the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board is suspended.
“The Minister emphasises that this referral is not a determination of the merits of the case, but a lawful step to ensure that parole decisions are subjected to proper oversight, comply fully with legislative requirements, and uphold public confidence in the correctional system.
“The department will communicate the outcome of the review process once it has been finalised,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
