ZELDA VENTER
The men responsible for the brutal 1994 attacks on Alison Botha are back behind bars after the Minister of Correctional Services, Dr Pieter Groenewald, revoked their parole.
In a statement issued by his office, it was said on Tuesday that Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger were back in jail after their parole was cancelled.
“This decision follows thorough evaluation and consultation of legal opinions. This decision was made in accordance with the Correctional Services Act, which empowers the minister to cancel parole for individuals sentenced to life imprisonment,” his office said.
“The minister's primary consideration is the imperative of protecting and securing the community, particularly in instances where acts of violence against women and children have been committed,” the statement read.
Tania Koen, Alison’s lawyer, meanwhile said: “Today is a huge victory. Not only for Alison, but for all victims.”
She said Advocate Annade Theart-Hofmeyr and she, as Alison’s legal team, want to express their gratitude and respect to Minister Groenewald and his team for making an informed decision after careful consideration of the law.
“We do believe it is the right decision.” Koen said in her capacity as CEO of the Reeva Rebecca Foundation, she welcomed this decision, especially as the minister’s primary consideration is protecting the community.
“When I told Alison the news, she was very surprised, but her first words to me were that she is relieved and she feels like she can breathe again.”
Koen said as far as she knows, this is a first time that prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment are sent back to jail after parole, without violating their parole conditions.
She explained that in terms of the law, so-called “lifers” who do not get parole after serving the minimum time in jail (currently 25 years) are usually automatically reassessed every 24 months.
Du Toit and Kruger were released in July 2023 after they were each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1995 for the attack on Alison in Gqeberha, an incident which shook the nation for its brutality.
They raped her and subsequently stabbed her 37 times. She suffered a slit throat and a gaping wound to her stomach. She was hijacked on the night of the attack and taken to a remote spot.
After being left for dead, a motorist came across her and he called for assistance.
When the pair were sentenced to life imprisonment, the judge commented at the time that if the death penalty still existed, he would have probably imposed that sentence.
Judge Chris Jansen referred to the two men as “inherently evil” and sentenced them to life in prison, with a recommendation they never be granted parole.
Activist group Women for Change were also outraged after the attackers were released on parole after spending 28 years behind bars.
They criticised the Department of Correctional Services at the time for granting the release without following the proper process and with ‘a total disregard for Alison’s rights’.
DCS in 2023 said the men were released on parole after serving the minimum required time in prison in line with the Correctional Services Act.
But Koen said during their release that is not the only requirement which must be met, as parole is not a right.
Alison submitted a victim impact statement opposing the parole. Still, despite her view that the men were not rehabilitated and that they would seek revenge once released, parole was recommended by the parole board.