Johannesburg - The ongoing secrecy around Eugene de Kock’s parole conditions hints at an illegal deal with Correctional Services, Cope has said.
“I’ve never seen such a parole,” Cope spokesman Dennis Bloem said. “I suspect that these people have made a deal with Eugene de Kock to say that he will come up and point out some of the other cases that have still not been solved. Maybe he agreed to that deal. I suspect so. That’s why they are keeping him now.”
Bloem said there was speculation that De Kock did not in fact have the knowledge to resolve those cases.
“Now he is sitting in a catch-22 situation.”
Bloem said any such deal between De Kock and the authorities to enable his parole would be illegal.
While De Kock is still in the custody of security officers, believed to be the State Security Agency, it seems that this is now with his consent.
On January 30, Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha announced that De Kock would be paroled. This followed a legal battle by De Kock to get the minister to make a decision on his parole after parole authorities had recommended it.
A week ago, De Kock’s lawyer, Pretoria attorney Julian Knight, said De Kock had told him that he had not actually been released on parole, but rather into the custody of the security sector, and was being held against his will.
Knight started plans to bring an application forcing the Department of Correctional Services to produce De Kock.
This week, Knight said De Kock had finally contacted him directly to say he was safe, so the application wasn’t necessary.
Knight does not know where De Kock is or what his parole conditions are.
“Mr De Kock has paid his debt to society and effectively went to prison on behalf of apartheid. It is time that he be reintegrated into society to give effect to the true meaning of ubuntu,” Knight said.
The ministry has refused to explain.
“We have acceded to Mr De Kock’s plea not to give details of his release, so no media enquiries will be entertained on his release, except queries on the minister’s decision on his parole,” ministry spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said last week.
Further requests for comment have been ignored.
The SAPS denied any involvement, while the State Security Agency also wouldn’t explain, only referring queries to Correctional Services.
The Ministry of Correctional Services has refused to reveal De Kock’s parole conditions or explain why he was handed over to security officials.
Last week, The Star established that De Kock had not been formally handed to the department’s community corrections section or assigned a parole officer before his release.
Bloem has called for a proper explanation.
The Star