Two decades after Luyanda Mboniswa was convicted of the murder of former first lady Marike de Klerk, he has been granted parole.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) confirmed that Mboniswa’s parole will be effective from August 30, 2023.
Mboniswa was convicted of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and housebreaking, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
De Klerk was murdered in December 2001 in her Cape Town apartment. She had been strangled to death.
The State proved that Mboniswa, a 21-year-old security guard at the time at De Klerk’s residence, had committed the murder.
He was sentenced in May 2003.
“In compliance with the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998, Mboniswa was considered for parole placement, having served the minimum required time,” said Singabakho Nxumalo, DSC spokesperson.
“The parole placement process started from the preparation of the profile by the Case Management Committee (CMC) and consideration by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB),” he said.
Nxumalo said the National Council for Correctional Services (NCCS) also dealt with the profile before its submission to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services for a decision.
“The Minister is empowered by Section 78 of the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 to make a determination on those sentenced to life,” he said.
Nxumalo said Mboniswa will be admitted into the system of community corrections, whereby he is expected to comply with a specific set of parole conditions for the rest of his natural life.
“He will be assigned a monitoring official to render supervision duties.
“Normal parole conditions will apply, such as, being restricted to his magisterial district.
“He is also not allowed to have contact with the family of the victim and shall not change his residential address without informing the monitoring official,” he said.
Nxumalo emphasised that parole placement forms part of the total rehabilitation programme in correcting the offending behaviour.
IOL reported that Marike and FW de Klerk had been divorced in 1994 and she had relinquished the right to private security and bodyguards.
FW de Klerk died in November 2021 at the age of 85.
IOL News