"Friends of Jackie Selebi" going for another parole bid

A group calling itself the "Friends of Jackie Selebi" is to make another application for the former police chief to be released on medical parole.

"We had actually written an application ahead of time and were waiting for the [amended Correctional Services Act, 1998] to be passed so we can submit it," group spokesman Isaack Lesole said on Thursday.

Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said President Jacob Zuma would promulgate all the provisions in the proposed amendment act on March 1.

Lesole said when Mapisa-Nqakula dismissed their first application in January, the group immediately looked into another application for when the new system got underway.

"He's an old man who is sick and not a danger to society... nobody is questioning the outcome of his sentence... we just feel he meets the requirements for medical parole," Lesole said.

The group was formed when the Supreme Court of Appeal rejected Selebi's bid to have his corruption conviction set aside on December 2, 2011. This meant he had to begin a 15-year jail sentence. The group lodged a formal request with the office of the minister of correctional services and the national commissioner of correctional services. The minister later said the request was "non-existent".

Selebi was reportedly moved from the nephrology unit at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital to a cell at Pretoria Central Prison last Sunday.

On Thursday, Mapisa-Nqakula told reporters that Selebi had not applied for medical parole. She was introducing the members of the new parole review board. The board would start work on March 1, when the new parole system comes into effect.

The 10-member board, consisting of medical doctors, would investigate all inmates requesting release on medical grounds.

Under the new system, anyone, including prisoners, would be allowed to apply for release on medical grounds. Under the current act, only medical doctors were allowed to initiate parole proceedings.

Mapisa-Nqakula said the public should refrain from using "terminally ill" when referring to prisoners released on medical parole.

"It is expected by society that once you declare a criminal as terminal... once he walks out of our centre people will start doing a countdown and believe the person is about to die tomorrow."

She said doctors found it difficult to say when an inmate was in the terminal stage because they were then expected to explain why the prisoner had not died.

She said the board would also look into post-release care for prisoners.

Board chairman Dr Victor Ramathesele said there was no need to have all members present when reaching a final decision on a profile application, but the chairman, deputy, and three other members of the board, would have to be in agreement.

The department said the new parole system would not be limited to offenders in their final phase of a disease. Inmates incapacitated by an injury or disease would also be eligible to make parole bids.