Cape Town - At the turn of the century, 14-year-old Valencia Farmer was raped, stabbed over 50 times and left for dead.
She was taken to Tygerberg Hospital, and before she died Valencia managed to tell detectives the names of her attackers.
The crime that shocked the country back in 1999 still haunts her mother, Sylvia Farmer, to this day.
Sylvia’s fears that the men behind the rape and murder would come after her have now been renewed as she learned yesterday, for the first time, that one of the men who was sentenced to double life was granted parole in 2019.
Sylvia was not aware of this, as she was not included in the victim offender dialogue ahead of parole being granted for Franklyn “Franky” Roberts.
Roberts received two life sentences in 2001 for the rape and murder of Valencia. He was 21 at the time of the murder and was a member of the Naughty Boys gang in Eerste River. He was granted parole in March 2019 and will serve the remainder of his sentence within the Community Corrections System.
Roberts is now one of two men who were part of Valencia’s rape and murder, who has since been granted parole.
Russel van Wyk is a second offender who was granted parole.
Sylvia, and the investigating team, had opposed his parole four times.
He was 32 when he was released on parole in 2017 after meeting the requirements, and would be until March 2023.
He was imprisoned at Drakenstein Medium Correctional Centre.
At the time, he had five years and eight months left of his sentence.
Initially, six suspects were arrested but only three were convicted and sentenced: Van Wyk, Roberts and Glenville “Bekkies” Faro.
Elmario Maasdorp was arrested later in 2015, after a confession from one of the men, and was sentenced in 2016 to 23 years.
He confessed that he, Faro, Van Wyk and Roberts had been drinking before leaving to a deserted house where the murder happened.
He claimed Valencia was his girlfriend and apparently asked his friends if they wanted to have sex, and Maasdorp detailed how each repeatedly raped her before stabbing her.
Faro and Roberts were sentenced to double life.
Faro is currently behind bars still serving his sentence at a correctional facility outside of the Western Cape.
Shocked and overcome with emotion, Sylvia said she is living in fear for her life and for her family, and was raising her three grandchildren and a foster child.
Her daughter’s murder took a toll on her health. Sylvia now relies on a crutch to walk, and suffers from diabetes, depression, low blood pressure and arthritis which she had developed after her daughter’s murder.
Every day was a battle for Farmer and her family, who were on the City’s housing waiting list and used her pension to survive.
“Where is he now, are you saying he is out? I am the one who stood against them coming out, I saw that they stay behind bars, and why do they want to come out, do they want to kill again?
“I cannot take this anymore. I am living in fear for the lives of my children and grandchildren. I need to get some form of witness protection, even a firearm, because our lives are in danger. The police need to contact me, this is not right that no one told us anything,” she said.
Sylvia said there had been rumours that one of the men, known as Bekkies, wanted parole.
Sylvia said they were struggling to survive and now she faced the parole issue.
“I don’t even have food inside my house and I am waiting for a place to stay, I am supporting my family with my pension.”
Department of Correctional Services (DCS) spokesperson Candice van Reenen confirmed that Roberts had been granted parole while two others were still behind bars.
They indicated the Victim Offender Dialogue had been completed with the victims, input which Sylvia told the newspaper had not been given.
“The victims’ input was included in parole hearing proceedings, as part of the Victim Offender Dialogue. It is important to note that victims can at any stage make contact with the respective heads of centre with regards to enquiries that they may have on an offenders’ parole conditions or any other related matter.”
National DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said that parole did not reduce the sentence but that a minimum sentence was to be served until they could meet the requirements – and that some did re-offend after being released.
“The Correctional Supervision and Parole Board decides when an offender is to be released and clearly specifies the conditions.
“It is indeed true that we have suffered some failure, which at times compromised the parole system, where some offenders will re-offend within months following their parole placements. It is for this reason that the department re-engineered the parole system with an aim to close some of the gaps and give an opportunity to the victims of crime to participate.”
Spokesperson for the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) Emerantia Cupido said there had been a lack of communication from the National Council for Correctional Services (NCCS) regarding profiles and outcomes on parole.
“JICS receives many matters relating to the parole of inmates. JICS has regularly reported that inmates, correctional officials and heads of correctional centres continue to raise frustrations on the lack of feedback from the NCCS on profiles and parole outcomes submitted as far back as 2017/2018.”