Slain music pioneer Taliep Petersen’s family says they have received a potential parole hearing date for the mastermind behind his cold-blooded murder 16 years ago.
Convicted killer Najwa Dirk, 59, and Abdoer Raasiet Emjedi, who recruited hitman Waheed Hassen, were found guilty of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. Najwa was sentenced to 28 years behind bars in February 2009.
Emjedi, who was sentenced to 24 years in jail, was released on parole in November 2020, while Jefferson Snyders, who was convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to 10 years, died three years ago.
Hitman Hassen’s parole was denied in March 2021.
Najwa is currently serving her sentence at Pollsmoor Prison but may be home for the festive season as she has already served nearly half of her sentence.
Taliep, 56, was shot dead in his Athlone home on December 16, 2006 in what was initially thought to be a robbery but turned out to be a hit orchestrated by his wife Najwa.
His daughter Jawaahier tells the Daily Voice: “We were informed about a potential date for the parole hearing a fortnight ago.
“We responded with queries regarding concerns about the offender’s completion of the necessary parole processes and procedures to which we have not yet received a response.
“Thus to our knowledge, there is no confirmation of the parole hearing as published in the media.”
Commenting on the SABC, Department of Correctional Service (DCS) spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said: “Najwa [Dirk] has been serving her sentence and is very close to what we call a minimum detention period.
“It is only then that her profile will be taken before the parole board and a determination will be made whether she’s a candidate for placement.
“At this stage one cannot predict, we have to wait for that particular time where the parole board will then decide.”
He said quite a number of processes has to be completed before an inmate is taken in front of the parole board, which in Najwa’s case has been done, but this does not guarantee that she will get parole.
He pointed out that although Taliep’s murder was “a very sensitive case that made a lot of headlines”, Najwa still had rights as a South Africa citizen.
“Najwa deserves to be treated like all other inmates, she has rights as a citizen, so as the department we are doing everything possible to rehabilitate her and prepare her for life [after] a correctional centre or a life post-incarceration.
“We wouldn’t want to predict if she will be placed out or not, but let us allow space and time the parole board will make a decision.”