The Democratic Alliance (DA) has requested correctional services district commissioner Sipho Manqele to react to reports that the African National Congress’s former chief whip, Tony Yengeni, held a ”private Christmas Party” in Malmesbury Prison.
Yengeni is serving a four-year prison term for fraud.
James Selfe, DA MP, on Friday said that the DA had spoken to the chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on correctional services, Dennis Bloem, requesting that Manqele appear before the committee to explain not only this latest incident, but a ”series of irregularities.”
According to Beeld, Yengeni’s wife Lumka was permitted to bring him a meal, which they shared behind closed doors while other prisoners had to contend with the prison’s kitchen food on Christmas Day.
Yengeni, who is due to be released on January 15, also reportedly received 17 visitors, up to four at a time, during the course of the day.
”This represents only the latest example in a long list of protocol violations that have seen almost every rule bent to accommodate Mr Yengeni to minimise the harshness of his sentence, and, as a consequence, reduce his prison time to nothing more than a farce,” said Selfe.
Last year it was reported that Yengeni was enjoying a special hospital cell because of respiratory problems.
He was then allowed a visit home having just served about two months of his sentence, as part of a parole-board decision.
In November it was reported that Yengeni had his prison privileges curbed pending an investigation into allegations he breached weekend parole conditions.
Yengeni was alleged at the time to have consumed alcohol and returned late from his parole to Malmesbury Prison.
Speaking in the National Assembly in November, Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour said he had taken serious note of the allegations of the violation of the weekend parole conditions by ”offender Tony Yengeni”.
In view of the allegations that Yengeni violated his parole conditions, the department had instituted certain measures. Pending the investigation of the allegations, Yengeni would forfeit all privileges related to visits by his family and close associates for two weeks, it was reported. — Sapa