Cape Town - The mother of the former fiancée of Sizzlers massacre killer Adam Woest has joined a national petition to prevent him from being released on parole.
Marietjie Kolesky is one of 11 000 people who have signed the virtual petition.
The petition was begun by Leigh Visser, the sister of Warren Visser, one of Woest’s victims.
The sole survivor, Quinton Taylor, has also signed.
The Visser family also wrote letters to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola and President Cyril Ramaphosa asking that Woest not be released.
Kolesky’s daughter, Adele, who had just begun nursing, had dated Woest since 1997.
According to Kolesky, the trauma her daughter suffered after the murders led her to an early grave seven years ago.
Adele had found vital evidence in her apartment, bloodied clothes and a rope.
“My daughter met Adam Woest shortly after school when she started working as a nurse in an old-age home in George. Their relationship lasted until the massacre,” said Kolesky.
“Adele was visiting me for two weeks in Potchefstroom at the time of the massacre. Adele found the bloodied clothes and rope in her apartment when she went back to Cape Town at the end of January.”
Woest, a waiter, and Trevor Theys, a taxi driver, were convicted and sentenced for nine murders and other serious charges after the massacre at a gay massage parlour in Sea Point.
Theys has since died inside prison.
The duo were convicted of nine counts of murder, attempted murder, robbery and the possession of ammunition after a guilty plea.
They had tied up 10 men, shot them and slit their throats.
The victims were Warren Visser, Aubrey Otgaar, Sergio de Castro, Stephanus Fouche, Johan Meyer, Gregory Berghau, Travis Reade, Timothy Boyd and Marius Meyer.
Otgaar was the owner of the parlour.
The motive for the killings is believed to be a botched robbery, but this was never proven.
In her petition section, Kolesky expressed the pain their family had endured.
“I'm signing because… I am the mother of Adam Woest's fiancée, Adele, at the time of the murder. My child, Adele, passed away seven years and seven months ago due to the trauma that was inflicted on her because of Adam and Trevor's criminal acts. She never recovered from that trauma.
“I didn’t know about this petition until this morning, so I’m signing. The trauma that was inflicted upon me and my family with the initial criminal acts and later with my child’s death due to this trauma which she couldn’t recover from is immense.
“Adam is a cold-blooded, soulless being. No heart, no emotions. He will never be rehabilitated.
“We know the circumstances before Adam and Trevor took those unjust steps to cruelly kill nine people and injure one severely. I know why they did that, and it was not about the money.”
During an interview in 2004, Adele told Independent Media that Woest had changed his hairstyle and wore glasses when she returned home during the time the murders had happened.
She said the police arrested Woest and she struggled to come to terms with everything.
“I hate Adam for what he did. I thought I knew him, but after this I don't think I know him at all. It is confusing to go from so much love to so much hatred. I prefer to think of him as being dead. It's less painful that way," she said.
The Weekend Argus also contacted the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) for the latest update on the parole process but they did not respond.
Previously, DCS said Woest was due to be considered for parole on March 16, 2016, as per the law, but he was not released because he had not met all the requirements for release at the time and that a victim dialogue process was under way for representation at the parole board.
Weekend Argus