Johannesburg

Sunday

Showers late. Afternoon clouds. Pleasantly warm.

15°C
29°C

7 day forecasts

DA: Pardon 'is a political act'

2005-01-18 17:03

Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance says it has written to President Thabo Mbeki asking for the full reasons behind his decision to pardon convicted cleric Dr Allan Boesak.

DA justice spokesperson Sheila Camerer said on Tuesday she had also given the list of questions to Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla.

She said that, in terms of the department of justice's own guidelines, remorse for having committed a crime was usually a prerequisite for pardon.

She said: "Allan Boesak was released three years ago and has not, so far, shown remorse or even admitted guilt regarding his conviction of theft and fraud."

The presidency has limited its explanation for the pardon so far to saying it is "in the public interest".

'Entrenchment of corruption in SA'

Camerer said she had asked the president and the minister what criteria and guidelines were used in weighing up his application.

She said she also had asked them what motivation had supported the pardon.

She wanted to know whether the donors, who gave the money that Boesak stole from his Foundation for Peace and Justice, were consulted.

She also had asked whether the pardon was consistent with Mbeki's commitment to set the government firmly against the entrenchment of corruption in South Africa.

She said: "In order to address the growing perception among the public that this pardon was a nakedly political act to benefit a member of the African National Congress elite, the president and the minister of justice should provide answers to these questions as soon as possible."

"They need to explain why it is that an ANC member convicted of stealing a large amount of donor money from the poor has been given what appears to be preferential treatment, while other, less connected persons are overlooked."

Boesak was convicted in 1999 and was paroled after two years of his three-year prison term.

- SAPA

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 17-23°C Mostly sunny. Mild. Pta: 18-30°C Tstorms late. Afternoon clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 15-29°C Showers late. Afternoon clouds. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 17-33°C Morning clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-25°C Afternoon clouds. Mild. PE: 17-25°C Morning clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

C#.NET Senior Applications Developer

Gauteng - JHB North/Sandton
E-Merge IT Recruitment
R480,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

C#.NET Application Developer

Gauteng - JHB North/Sandton
E-Merge IT Recruitment
R380,000-400,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

Senior Java Developer

Gauteng
Hire Resolve

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2009 Audi A3 2.0 T Sportback Manual - 24000kms
Lava Grey & Tan leather interior
R 275 000

FORD

Ranger 2200 LWB XL
2000
R 59,900.00

TOYOTA

Yaris T1 1.0 3-dr AC
2009
R 134,990.00

MAZDA

Etude 160i E AC
2001
R 54,900.00

Property - Find a new home

WATERVAL EAST

Single Residential R2,400,000

KWAAIWATER

Single Residential R2,500,000

WELBEDACHT

Single Residential R2,600,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Luxury bush escape

Book a five-star stay at Pumba Game Lodge or Richard Branson's Ulusaba Safari Lodge and save R2 000. More details!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

Great Festive Savings on Books

Up to 30% Off ALL Books. 2.3 million titles on SALE.

Sleek New iPod Range. Order Your's Now!

iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!

Up to 40% off Fabulous Festive Flicks

46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now! Pre-order Up and District 9!

Up to 20% off ALL Music

100s of festive new releases now in stock! Now, Bump 25, Bon Jovi & more!

1000s of Festive Toys on Sale

Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!

Hot Deal of the Day!

Up to 30% off Books

Ends midnight, 30 November

2.3 million titles on sale! New Stieg Larsson, Jeremy Clarkson, Jamie Oliver & more!

Up to 40% Off Sale on All Books, Toys, CDs, DVDs & Games!