THE mother of a teenage boy who was fatally stabbed by a peer in Pinetown has questioned the justice system, alleging it was lenient on her child’s murderer.

The spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Singabakho Nxumalo, confirmed that the convicted, who was a minor at the time of the incident, was released on parole earlier this year after serving one-sixth (10 months) of his five-year sentence for the 2022 murder of Jorina Pretorius’ son, Jayden Glazer.

One of Pretorius’ gripes with the justice system was that she was not notified about the decision to place her son’s murderer on parole.

Nxumalo explained that the decision to place an offender under correctional supervision – parole – is “at the discretion of the Commissioner of Correctional Supervision and Parole Board after serving one-sixth of the sentence”.

“This option serves as an alternative to longer periods of imprisonment, particularly for offences that are not considered extremely serious but warrant more than a fine or suspended sentence,” said Nxumalo.

He said the parolee was seen by the Parole Board on February 26 and was released on parole on February 28.

Also read: Man arrested for fatal stabbing of a woman in Pinetown

“The inmate met the requirements for parole, his address was confirmed, and he served his minimum detention period at Durban Youth Centre.

“[The offender] is currently on parole under the supervision of the Durban Community Corrections Office.

“He had to complete 80 hours of Community Service at the SAPS building in Pinetown. He completed his community service and is complying with his conditions,” said Nxumalo, who added that the parolee is under strict parole conditions and is being monitored by the Durban Community Corrections in the Pinetown area.

An upset Pretorius said she will consider seeking legal advice to determine whether she can have the decision overturned.

“I want him to go back to prison because I think that is wrong, 10 months in prison for murder,” said Pretorius.

Pretorius said what was meant to be a fist fight over popularity eventually robbed her of her son who was 15 years old at the time of the fatal stabbing.

She said she keeps company with a friend who is also grieving the loss of her son and they counsel each other, “which has helped me a lot”, and she keeps busy to avoid thinking too much about Jayden’s passing.

*This article has been amended since it was first published to remove the name of the teen murderer as he was a minor when he committed the crime. The Children’s Act 38 of 2005 prohibits identifying these minors.

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