/ 3 February 2015

Everyone’s word against Derby-Lewis’s

Clive Derby-Lewis informed Justice Minister Michael Masutha's spokesperson that he never gave his lawyer the instruction to sue him.
Clive Derby-Lewis informed Justice Minister Michael Masutha's spokesperson that he never gave his lawyer the instruction to sue him.

Clive Derby-Lewis on Tuesday denied claims that he had asked his lawyer Marius Coertze to sue Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha for R2-million.

“This never happened,” Derby-Lewis said in a statement.

“I never instructed him to sue the minister nor anyone else at the department of correctional services.”

Derby-Lewis said he had emailed Masutha’s spokesperson to inform him that he never gave his lawyer the instruction and apologised for the misinformation.

As of Sunday, Coertze was no longer be representing Derby-Lewis.

Derby-Lewis’s wife Gaye said Julian Knight, who represented former Vlakplaas commander Eugene De Kock, would now be represent her husband.

On Friday, Masutha announced that Derby-Lewis had been denied medical parole, but that De Kock would get parole.

Although the medical parole board had recommended that Derby-Lewis be released, Masutha raised questions about his medical reports. He criticised the parole board for recommending his release on parole as he only had stage three lung cancer. 

According to legislation, only those with stage four qualify. Derby-Lewis had apparently used someone else’s name on his medical reports. 

He was arrested for providing the gun used by Janusz Walus, a Polish immigrant, to kill South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani in the driveway of his Boksburg home on April 10 1993.

Derby-Lewis was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to a life sentence after South Africa abolished capital punishment.

Masutha said he was not convinced that Derby-Lewis had shown real remorse for his actions. â€“ Sapa