/ 23 June 2010

Don’t grant Derby-Lewis bail, says DA

SACP leader Chris Hani's killer, Clive Derby-Lewis, shouldn't be considered for parole until he has served a longer sentence, the DA says.

Clive Derby-Lewis, convicted for the killing of former South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Chris Hani, should not be considered for parole until he has served a “substantially longer sentence”, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday.

“While it is true that in terms of legislation Clive Derby-Lewis is entitled to a parole hearing after serving 15 years in prison, which is the amount of time that he has served to date, the vast majority of inmates with life sentences wait 25 years before being considered for parole,” DA spokesperson James Selfe said in a statement.

He said the case should be viewed in light of Derby-Lewis’s “particularly heinous” crimes that nearly brought South Africa to the brink of civil war.

Derby-Lewis’s parole hearing takes place in Pretoria on Wednesday.

He was convicted for his part in the murder of SACP general secretary Hani in 1993. He was sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life imprisonment when capital punishment was abolished.

His last application for parole was dismissed by the high court in Pretoria in March last year.

SACP spokesperson Malesela Maleka said the party is opposing the application. A delegation led by SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande would make a presentation to the parole board on the party’s position.

The Correctional Services Department could not immediately be reached for comment. — Sapa