The Lady Frank: The public, politics and parole
It's bound to stir public debate.
FOLLOWING the controversy surrounding the recent parole application and subsequent denial of Clive Derby-Lewis, the parole process in South Africa has been under much scrutiny.
However, nothing promises to attract attention to it like Schabir Shaik’s bid to have his medical parole converted to normal parole, with the way the Department of Correctional Services handles this being likely to shape its public image.
Recently, it was reported that, in light of his miraculous recovery from what he claimed was a terminal illness, convicted fraudster Shaik was hoping to be considered for normal parole after serving just over two years of his fifteen year sentence.
There are many problems with this, one being that you don’t recover from terminal illnesses unless they’re not terminal, which either means that the parole board is ill-equipped to determine who should be eligible for parole or that his release was politically-motivated, as many claim Derby Lewis’s denial was.
Since last year’s high-profile cases involving Oscar Pistorius and Shrien Dewani, ordinary South Africans have had the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the law which has also allowed us to criticise and add our opinions to such matters.
This guarantees that however the parole board rules in the Shaik case, it will be sure to stir a public debate.
