Minister Groenewald's strong response to Marius van der Westhuizen's controversial parole application

A year after former police officer Marius van der Westhuizen’s third parole bid was placed on hold and cancelled, he has daringly launched a fourth application. 

This comes 14 years after he murdered his three children in front of their mother.

In response to his latest application, Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald said the bid could not be ignored legally, but that it would be challenged by recommendations made a year ago.

Van der Westhuizen’s state of mind and the impact on his victims, like his ex-wife, Charlotte van der Westhuizen, would need to be considered.

Last July, Van der Westhuizen’s third application was placed for review and then cancelled on the eve of when he was due to be released from the Malmesbury prison.

“Legally there is nothing that prevents Marius van der Westhuizen to reapply for parole, whether a parole board will grant parole is another question and we will have to see and wait what the decision will be,” said Groenewald to the Cape Argus in response to the newest application.

“It must be remembered that the review board, who cancelled the previous application for his parole, made certain recommendations, for instance that the victims must be properly consulted and they must be allowed to make certain inputs, in such an application.

“What is also most important is that the review board also recommended that the matter must be considered by a differently constituted parole board, which must consider all the relevant medical reports and whether the offender has undergone sufficient psycho therapy to address the risk factors, identified in the psychologists and criminologists reports.

“They will have to comply with that, so we will have to see and wait what will happen with such a reapplication of Van der Westhuizen.”

Former top cop, now retired, Lieutenant General Sharon Jephta, who spoke on behalf of Charlotte said this time, she would not be speaking publicly.

Last year, Charlotte started a national pledge and Backabuddy account titled “Help Charlotte fight for justice and healing,” where she requested South Africans to help raise R200 000 to foot the bill for legal fees and that of a psychologist, which was vital for the victim impact report during a parole bid and for her lawyer to continue fighting the matter.

Last year, Charlotte shared that her medical bills for a psychologist was over R40 000 and that a 24-page report had been submitted about her trauma.

The Department of Correctional Services did not respond to queries and the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board suspended any date of placement for him.

In a media statement, Action Society said they were outraged by the latest application.

“This renewed attempt to regain his freedom is not only a grave insult to justice but also a traumatic reopening of wounds for the children’s mother and a deeply disturbed public is still haunted by the brutality of his crimes."

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Cape Argus