Tense wait for parole decision

IT IS NOW a waiting game for convicted killer Donovan Moodley who is awaiting a decision regarding his bid for parole.

Moodley, 41, attended his parole hearing last Friday after serving 17 years of his life sentence.

He is behind bars for the kidnapping and murder of Leigh Matthews, a 20-year-old student from Bond University in Johannesburg.

On July 9, 2004, Moodley, also a student at Bond University, abducted Matthews at gunpoint from the university parking lot and pushed her into the boot of his vehicle. Shortly after the kidnapping, a ransom demand was made to Matthew’s father Rob who dropped off R50 000 at a toll plaza, south of Johannesburg.

On July 24, 2004, Matthews’s body was found in an open veld in Walkerville. She had been shot four times.

In August 2005, Moodley was found guilty and sentenced to life for murder, 15 years for kidnapping and 10 years for extortion.

On Friday, Matthews’s parents attended the hearing at the Johannesburg Medium B Correctional Services Centre.

During the hearing, Rob Matthews read out the victim impact statement he had read in court during Moodley’s trial. He spoke about the family’s grief and heartache.

After the parole hearing, he told the media that Moodley had shown no remorse and had not changed.

“He’s still the same lying, conniving, deceitful individual. We heard another story today of how Leigh’s body was handled. He is clearly not an individual that smacks of any sign of remorse. We were hoping to get some answers as to who else was involved. Overall, it’s been a tough and tiring day.”

He, however, commended the parole board for how the hearing was handled and for listening to them.

Matthews said he understood the decision would take time.

“The minister has the final say. This can take from one month to two years because there is a huge amount of work that has to go in there. The process was open and transparent. The chairman of the parole board concluded by saying their official recommendation to the minister would be that to grant Moodley parole would be an insult to justice.”

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said it was impossible to provide a specific date as to when a decision would be made as the process had to go through different stages.

Singabakho Nxumalo, national spokesperson for the DCS, said it was important to highlight that Moodley’s committal of crime date was July 2004.

“Subsequently, he was found guilty and sentenced on 4 August 2005. To date, offender Moodley has spent almost 17 years behind bars. Yet his minimum detention period was 3 June 2018, making it 12 years and four months.

“He falls under the Van Wyk judgment for lifers. This is a category of lifers required to serve at least 20 years before being considered for parole placements. The special remission of sentences and other credits further reduced the 20 years to 12 years and 4 months.”

Nxumalo said parole consideration for lifers went through the Case Management Committee in terms of their profiles being prepared, and thereafter, the first consideration was conducted by Correctional Supervision and Parole Board.

“The next stage is that of the National Council for Correctional Services (NCCS), chaired by a judge of the high court and comprising of other professionals, including judges, magistrates, attorneys, clinical psychologists, social workers, medical doctors, professors and officials.

“A recommendation by the NCCS goes to the minister of justice and Correctional Services. Upon receipt of the recommendation from the NCCS, the minister exercises due consideration.”

Nxumalo said parole formed part of the total rehabilitation programme in correcting offending behaviour.

He said it was regarded as an aid to social re-integration of the offender, and a mechanism to manage the risk the offender may pose to the community.

“Parole may not be favourably considered if an offender has not participated in programmes aimed at preparing him/her for a crime-free life after placement on parole.

“If parole is approved, an offender is subject to conditions that he/she must comply with until the expiry of his/ her entire sentence, and each parolee is assigned to a specific parole official.

“Parole officials monitor compliance with strict parole conditions, through regular visits to the parolee at his or her home and/or workplace. One standard condition is that offenders on parole may not commit any crime, and, if they do, they will return to a correctional centre.”

He said inmates did not have to apply for parole.