PRETORIA - The parole placement, from September 23, of convicted rapist and former tennis star Bob Hewitt is to be reviewed, the justice and correctional services ministry said on Sunday.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola had received confirmation from the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) on the parole placement of Hewitt, the ministry said in a statement.
"Upon studying the CSPB’s decision, the minister noted with grave concern the lack of participation by the victims of crimes in the parole consideration process. It is critical that the justice system in all its facets pays a considerable amount of attention to the victim-centric approach, as envisioned in national framework on sexual offenses of 2012," the minister said.
In light of this, Lamola had instructed the National Commissioner of Correctional Services Arthur Fraser to take the matter on review with the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board (CSPRB), as per section 77(1) of the Correctional Services Act.
The CSPRB was an empowered structure to review the decision of the CSPB, should a submission be made to it by the minister, the commissioner, the Inspecting Judge, or the “person concerned”.