Update:
Convicted murderer Najwa Petersen’s parole has been halted following a directive from Minister of Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald, Cape {town} Etc reports.
This decision came after the Pollsmoor Correctional Supervision and Parole Board had granted Petersen parole, which is now set to be reviewed by the Parole Review Board.
The Department previously noted that victims’ families were involved in the parole-hearing process and mentioned Petersen’s participation in various rehabilitation programs, as well as her upcoming enrolment in pre-release programs aimed at preparing her for reintegration into society.
On Friday, Minister Groenewald stated that the Parole Review Board will now assess the initial decision made by the Pollsmoor Correctional Supervision and Parole Board to either confirm or replace it. He added, ‘This referral suspends the decision to place her (Petersen) on parole, effective from 27 November 2024, pending the outcome of the CSPRB.’
The Minister’s referral followed concerns raised by Taliep’s family. Groenewald remarked, ‘The discrepancies in Marius van der Westhuizen’s case have led to a lack of public trust. As a result, I am exercising my discretion under the provisions of the Act to ensure that Parole Boards consider all reports comprehensively to prevent future occurrences of such issues.’
Convicted murderer, Najwa Dirk Petersen, is eligible for parole in December 2022, after serving 13 years of her 28 year sentence for orchestrating and killing her husband, Taliep Petersen, a South African singer and theatre legend, in December 2006.
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Peterson (56) was shot dead on December 16, 2006, during a robbery at his Athlone home. It was later discovered that the robbery was an orchestrated hit by his wife, Najwa Dirk Petersen, who had hired three hitmen to carry out the killing before shooting and killing her husband.
According to the Department of Correctional Service (DCS) spokesperson Singabakho NxumaloIt is has to be noted that parole does not reduce the sentence imposed by the courts. It only affects the way in which a sentence is served,
“Over the past 26 years, the prison system has transformed from a punitive system into a rehabilitative system, with the aim to correct offending behaviour prior to placement back into communities.”
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