Derby-lewis’s wife intends laying charge over prisons minister’s ‘lies’

THE WIFE of murderer Clive Derby-lewis plans to lay a charge against the correctional services minister over what she has said about her husband.

Two days ago, Gaye DerbyLewis – whose husband was found guilty of Chris Hani’s murder – sent a letter to Nosiviwe Mapisa-nqakula, accusing her of lying.

Gaye wrote in the letter that Mapisa-nqakula had been reported in the media as saying during the opening of the new Gallows Museum at Pretoria Central Prison that she had refused the killer’s parole application and that he would not be set free.

Gaye added that MapisaNqakula was reported to have said that Derby-lewis planned to “first rest”, then reveal everything about the murder after his release from prison.

“She is backing the SA Communist Party so as to prevent him from getting amnesty and parole. The minister is a liar,” said Gaye.

She said her husband had revealed all he had known of the murder during his trial and there was no evidence of a conspiracy.

He is serving a life sentence and was recently denied parole.

He was convicted of the murder of Hani, then the SACP general secretary, in 1993.

He was at first sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted.

Derby-lewis has served 18 years of a 25-year sentence.

His wife and lawyers are now attempting to get medical parole for the soon-to-be 76year-old.

“He is suffering from heart failure, high blood pressure and cancer. He had to have eight operations in two months,” said Gaye.

She said they were waiting for doctors to complete medical reports, which would be submitted to the Department of Correctional Services as part of an application for medical parole.

Gaye said she planned to lay a charge of crimen injuria if she didn’t hear from the minister.

“Let her prove what she said is correct,” she said.

Mapisa-nqakula’s spokesman, Correctional Services chief deputy commissioner Zach Modise, said he didn’t know about the letter.