Johannesburg – Police union Popcru has called for explanations by the Department of Justice and Correctional Services over the decision to grant parole to former Colonel Chris Lodewyk Prinsloo who was convicted of flooding the Cape Flats in Cape Town with guns which were sold to gangs.
In 2016, Prinsloo was sentenced to 18 years behind bars after being convicted of more than 20 charges, ranging from racketeering, corruption and money laundering relating to the smuggling and dealing of lethal weapons worth around R9 million with gangsters in the Cape.
Popcru national spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the union found the decision to set Prinsloo free just less than four years into his jail time appalling and baseless, even more so because he was a former member of the SAPS on whom there was the highest expectation of discipline.
“Such a decision is a slap in the face to many people who have perished at the hands of gangsters, their families and those committed police officers who have been killed while investigating these syndicates.
“He clearly understood that his dealings would result in the many community deaths and turf wars that continue to ravage parts of the Western Cape areas,” Mamabolo said.
Using an intermediary, Prinsloo and a colleague in the SAPS were found to have abused their positions as custodians of the SAPS armoury to smuggle the illegal firearms that were either awaiting tracking or to be destroyed.
Mamabolo said many youths had their future prospects destroyed as a result of growing up under gang-infested environments.
“Mr Prinsloo should not get any preferential treatment and must be taken back to jail to serve out the two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole. The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola and the Parole Board must account for this decision,” he said. | Political Bureau