Convicted killer Najwa Dirk’s parole has been suspended following intervention from her victim’s family.
Minister of Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald announced on Friday that the decision of the Pollsmoor Correctional Supervision and Parole Board to place Dirk on parole has been directed to the Parole Review Board, reports IOL.
Dirk, 63, is in prison for the murder of her husband musician Taliep Petersen.
Taliep was killed with a single shot to the head after being tied up with cable ties in his Athlone home on the night of 16 December, 2006.
Three years later, on 11 February 2009, Dirk was sentenced to an effective 28 years behind bars.
She appeared before the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board earlier this month, on 11 September, where she was granted a parole placement date of 27 November.
At the time, the Department said that the victim’s family were involved in the parole-hearing process.
They also said that Najwa had participated in various rehabilitation programmes and would be enrolled in pre-release programmes to prepare her for reintegration into society.
However, Taliep’s sister Maatoema Groenmeyer, was unhappy with the board’s decision and vowed to take legal action to keep Najwa behind bars.
And emotional Maatoema said: “We are disgusted and appalled at the decision of the parole board.
“If they say she is a flight risk, then why give her parole?
“My brother Igshaan is not happy. He told the chairperson ‘you’ve made your decision and I will appeal it’. Where is the justice?
“Even the criminologist and psychologist’s report found her not to be remorseful and still in denial that she was the mastermind and very manipulative.
“My brother did not get the justice he deserved; she spent 16 years as a convicted prisoner.”
On Friday, the Minister said that the Parole Review Board is now tasked with reviewing the original decision made by the Pollsmoor Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPRB) and must confirm, or replace it with its own decision.
He said: “This referral suspends the decision to place her (Petersen) on parole, effective from the 27th of November 2024, pending the outcome of the CSPRB.”
The Minister decided to refer the matter following representations from Taliep’s family.
He added: “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.”