By Zama Feni
Staff Reporter
Eight prisoners who have been behind bars for 20 years - some of whom spent time on death row in the 1980s - are going to be freed later in January.
Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour confirmed on Thursday that the eight former death row and life sentence prisoners would be released on parole and correctional supervision placement as they have served the minimum of 20 years. However, he declined to release their names.
Three prisoners were from Thohoyandou in Limpopo, two from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, two from Witbank and Middelburg in Mpumalanga, and one from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.
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He did not have the information at hand as to how many of the eight had had their death sentences commuted to life in jail after the death penalty was abolished in the late 1980s.
Balfour said the prisoners were now undergoing a one-month pre-release programme aimed at orientating them to life outside. "This is a programme aimed at integrating them to real social life.
"Once on parole with their families, they would get the shock of their lives as the world has changed. Some have never seen nor touched cellphones."
"The pre-release program-me includes anger management, behaviour and discipline. These are very important for them as prison life might have hugely affected their lives and way of thinking.
"Officials are now orientating them to know they will be in a world where there will be no bells calling them to four o'clock suppers, no orange uniforms and other prison stuff."
Balfour urged communities not to vent their anger on prisoners who had been released on parole as they were undergoing a very important social integration process.
"They have gone through the justice programme, served their time in jail and now it's their second chance for them lead a full and normal life."
Balfour recently had to address a crowd at a Hermanus township who refused to let two parolees return home.
"I was very happy when the people and the parolees ex-pressed themselves publicly. We left the place happy at seeing both parties having forgiven each other.
"I understand the reasons to be angry towards parolees, hence I beg people to be calm and accept them again …
"Please give them a second chance," Balfour said.
- This article was originally published on page 9 of Cape Argus on January 19, 2007
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