Cape Topwn - Hard Living’s gang boss Rashied Staggie, set to be released on parole on Monday, will apparently return to Manenberg – where the Community Policing Forum (CPF) says everyone knows who he is, and will keep a watchful eye on his activities.
Staggie will be allowed out of Pollsmoor Prison every morning, but will have to report back to the prison every night. He will also be monitored constantly, thanks to an electronic tracking device.
The run-up to Staggie’s release has seen community groups and police raise the alarm over potential increases in gang activity.
But Manenberg CPF spokes- man Kader Jacobs said yesterday that, although they tried to object to his release on parole initially, they were happy with the strict conditions.
Staggie was convicted of rape in 2003, and sentenced to 15 years in jail. The following year he was also convicted of robbing the Faure police armoury, and sentenced to 13 years in jail – with the two sentences to run concurrently.
James Smalberger, deputy commissioner of Correctional Services, said yesterday that everything was on track for Staggie’s release on Monday. He could not provide an exact time for the release, but said it would happen “during the course of the day”.
Smalberger confirmed that Staggie would be expected to return to Pollsmoor every night for the next six months.
“If he continues to behave well, then he will be released on parole,” he added.
Staggie would be “a sentenced offender”, as if he were still serving his sentence.
Staggie was also likely to be confined to certain areas of the city, but the details were still to be worked out before his release.
Jacobs, meanwhile, said Staggie had listed a Manenberg address to return to on his parole forms.
“Initially, the CPF was very concerned and we tried to object to his release on parole. But the conditions are very strict,” he said.
“He has listed a Manenberg address because he is from the area. This will also make it easier for us to monitor him because everyone here knows who he is. If he had to go into the leafy suburbs, nobody would really notice him.”
Chantelle Knight, the woman responsible for putting Staggie behind bars, was shot five times in Manenberg two months ago. Her boyfriend, and the father of her five children, Ramano Olivier, died in the shooting.
Staggie’s parole conditions include not contacting any of the victims of his crimes.
Weekend Argus