Hani killer's wife loses cool

Gaye Derby-Lewis, the wife of one of the men convicted of killing anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani, is furious with the Department of Correctional Services.

She has accused it of refusing to tell her if they are processing the medical parole application of her husband.

Gaye hand-delivered Derby-Lewis's application on September 11 and received a receipt. Since then, she has not received any news about the progress of the application.

She claims that, on September 27, she wrote to the commissioner of Correctional Services, Tom Moyane.

"Truly, Mr Moyane, this country is a particular kind of hell when dealing with these highly-paid parasites who think they are doing us a favour when they eventually - if ever - answer a phone," she wrote.

"I have now handed the matter of getting an acknowledgement to an e-mail over to an attorney to ask him to try to get through to someone so that a simple phone call can be answered.

"All I am asking for is common business practice, especially when it is to do with somebody's life."

Derby-Lewis, along with Janus Walusz, was convicted of Hani's 1993 murder.

They were both sentenced to death, commuted to life in prison in 1995.

Derby-Lewis's two applications for ordinary parole have been denied.

In Derby-Lewis's medical parole application, doctors describe his ill-health.

At 76, he has skin cancer and swollen legs, and his diuretic medicine is not working, according to his wife.

But he refuses to seek treatment at Steve Biko Academic Hospital because, Gaye says, the state of the hospital is appalling.

Asked if Derby-Lewis could expect an acknowledgement, the department's spokesman, Refilwe Koloti, said: "If Mrs Gaye Derby-Lewis has a complaint, we advise that she approaches the office where she has submitted the application."

Koloti would not confirm receipt of Derby-Lewis's parole application.

Very few applicants have been granted a medical parole since rules introduced in March made it easier for terminally ill prisoners to apply.

In June, 12 prisoners applied and six were granted medical parole, including former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi.

In July, two of 34 applications were granted. In September, two of 18 were approved.