‘Barbie’ victims opposed to her early release

Cezanne Visser. Photo: Masi Losi

Cezanne Visser. Photo: Masi Losi

Published Oct 22, 2012

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Pretoria - The lawyer acting on behalf of two of Cezanne Visser’s victims - who were mere children when they fell prey to her sexual antics - has called on the minister of correctional services and the department’s national commissioner to intervene and ensure that no procedures regarding her possible early release will take place without their input.

In a letter to minister Sbu Ndebele and commissioner Tom Moyane, attorney Pieter van R Coetzee asked that they ensure in future that no application would be heard in court or before the parole board without prior notice to the victims.

He also called on Ndebele and Moyane to see to it that the two victims be joined as parties to such an application or that they were invited to be heard or be represented during any such application.

“Despite our request in this regard, we have had no co-operation from Visser as to informing the victims when she proposed to apply for an early release or a lessening of her sentence. We want to know when this is to take place, so as to afford the victims the opportunity to be present or to be represented at the proceedings,” he said.

Van R Coetzee said he, in an earlier memorandum to the parole board, indicated that he would, on behalf of the two, object to any form of early release for Visser. He said the victims had, in terms of the law, the right to formally object to the early release of their abuser from the women’s prison in Pretoria.

As far back as July 4 this year he asked the parole board and Correctional Services to supply him with documentation pertaining to any application by Visser regarding her release - whether to the court or before the parole board. This also included documents which the prison authorities planned to use in consideration of an early release for Visser.

Apart from an acknowledgement that the department had received this request, he is still waiting for these documents.

“I was left with no alterative but to now ask the minister to intervene,” he said.

Van R Coetzee pointed out that Visser had launched an urgent application before the Pretoria High Court a week ago to have her seven-year sentence - of which she had served two years and five months - converted into correctional supervision. The court at the time struck the matter from the roll because it was not urgent.

“The victims were not joined in this application, nor were they even informed, as to enable them to be heard during this application. This is a travesty of justice and Visser’s legal representative knew that the victims requested to be heard,” he said. Van R Coetzee said that because of a lack of transparency, he had no choice but to approach the minister and the national commissioner to intervene.

Visser recently turned to the court after the parole board turned down her application for the remainder of her sentence to be commuted into correctional supervision - which will include house arrest.

She asked the court to review and set aside this refusal by the parole board. Van R Coetzee at the time told the Pretoria News that he was never told of such an application and the first he heard of it was when he was approached by the media for comment.

Pretoria News

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