Parole decision overturned Griekwastad killer to remain in custody

A parole decision to release the man convicted of killing his parents and sister at a Northern Cape farm has been overturned, meaning he will remain behind bars. Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald’s spokesperson, Euné Wessels, confirmed the outcome on Thursday night.

Background of the crime and conviction

The man, now 29, was convicted of the murders of his father, Deon, 44, his mother, Christel, 43, and his 14-year-old sister, Marthella. He was 15 when he took two firearms from the family safe and shot all three victims multiple times at their farm, Naauwhoek, near Griekwastad on Good Friday in 2012.

After being shot, Deon and Marthella were also struck repeatedly on the head with a blunt object, and Marthella was raped. The offender was found guilty of the murders, rape and defeating the ends of justice in March 2014. The Kimberley High Court sentenced him to an effective 20-year prison sentence five months later.

Parole review and outcome

In December last year a parole board approved his release on parole. Minister Groenewald then asked the parole review board to review that decision. Euné Wessels said the minister’s referral followed “numerous representations from the community” and that he “requested and considered all relevant documentation pertaining to the parole placement decision” prior to making the referral.

Following the review, the original decision to place the offender on parole was replaced by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board in terms of section 75(8) of the Correctional Services Act.

What comes next

Wessels said the replacement decision means the offender “will therefore continue serving his sentence and must comply with prescribed corrective measures within a specified timeframe before his suitability for parole placement can be reconsidered.”

“The minister confirms that the original decision to place an offender on parole has been replaced by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board in terms of section 75(8) of the Correctional Services Act,” Wessels said on Thursday night.

The review board’s decision prevents the previously approved parole placement from taking effect until the offender meets the specified corrective measures and any future reconsideration of parole is undertaken in line with those requirements.