Celebrity parolees have bright future

THE notorious state assassin Ferdinand Barnard has been released on parole after being incarcerated for more than 20 years.

In 1998 he was given two life sentences and a further 63 years imprisonment. His crimes included the murder of Dr David Webster and the attempted murder of Dullah Omar while he was an activist.

Last year, Eugene de Kok, the former anti-apartheid death squad commander convicted and sentenced in 1986 to two life sentences and 212 years on 89 counts, including six murders, was released on parole after apologising to his victims’ families.

My interpretation of parole is the brief window period between old age and death, in a world that has forgotten to despise them.

South Africa is a haven for criminals who plead before the parole altar. To me, parole is a type of leniency that mitigates justice, softens it and introduces the variable of mercy. Two of South Africa’s famous medical parolees by default are Jackie Selebi and Schabir Shaik, with both having been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on separate corruption charges.

While Shaik continues his insouciant “part-time” of sipping red wine, smoking Cuban cigars, feeding his koi fish and playing golf, Selebi and another released parolee, Clive Derby-Lewis, who was the architect of Chris Hani’s assassination, have passed on.

However, the man guilty of Hani’s assassination, Polish Janusz Walus, has been repeatedly declined parole, partly because of Hani’s widow and family, who have vehemently objected that he has not shown enough remorse.

Celebrity parolees indeed have a bright future if opportunities are seized or they fall into the hands of the right mentor waiting outside the prison gates.

They can write a book or sell their stories to movie producers. They can also become motivational speakers and mentors in a wide variety of fields.

There is a dark side too, for some habits die hard.

They might try to seek out unpaid debts and if they know where the stash is hidden, they will have to bide out some time.

However, personal, physical retribution is out of the question for it is a “back to jail” return card.

KEVIN GOVENDER | Queensburgh