Parole for Najwa Petersen set to be reviewed – Groenewald

Groenewald

Cape Town — The Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board (CSPRB) will review the decision to grant parole to convicted murderer, Najwa Petersen.

Earlier this month, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) granted Petersen parole after 15 years of her sentence.  She appeared before the CSPB and was granted parole on 27 November 2024.

“This decision was made by Section 73 of the Correctional Services Act, which requires that the minimum sentence period be served before parole consideration,” the Department said at the time.

Following this decision, the CSPRB will now review the decision to grant Petersen parole, a statement read.

“The CSPRB is tasked with reviewing the original decision made by the Pollsmoor Correctional Supervision and Parole Board and must confirm or replace it with its own decision,” Minister Groenewald said.

“This referral suspends the decision to place her on parole, effective from the 27th of November 2024, pending the outcome of the CSPRB,” the department said.

The department explained that the referral follows representations made by Taliep Petersen’s family.

“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,” the Minister said.

According to The Citizen, Van der Westhuizen was jailed for the 2006 murder of his three children was overturned in August. He was the acting station commander at Claremont Police Station, in 2006 shot his three children in front of his wife, Charlotte, at their home in Brackenfell, Western Cape. In 2011, he was sentenced him to 24 years in prison.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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