DA: Hewana treated differently

2010-07-01 17:47

Cape Town - DA spokesperson James Selfe said on Thursday that the Democratic Alliance would raise the issue of alleged special treatment in prison for Siphiwe Hewana with Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

This followed media reports that Hewana, former commander of the Goodwood police station and the person that tampered with police dockets to protect former ANC Chief Whip Tony Yengeni, was receiving special treatment in jail.

Selfe said this was "no doubt as a reward for his faithful, if unsuccessful, service to the ANC.

"I will be taking this matter up in Parliament with the minister of correctional services and with the regional commissioner of correctional services in the Western Cape."

Hewana was found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice in May this year and was sentenced to four years in jail.

Receiving visitors

He was found guilty of ordering a drunk driving docket on Yengeni - who was on parole at the time - to be destroyed and creating a new docket containing false information in an attempt to protect Yengeni from going back to jail for violating his parole conditions.

"Hewana has served less than two months of his sentence and now it has emerged in the media that he is receiving preferential treatment," Selfe said.

"He is reportedly receiving visitors, even though he is not eligible to.

"Furthermore, it is alleged that Hewana receives meals from outside the prison and that he does not eat the standard prison meals, nor does he wear the standard orange inmate garb.

"He also apparently complained about being transported in a departmental van with other inmates and was then transported separately without being restrained.

"It would appear that Mr Hewana's attempts to serve the ANC faithfully have not been forgotten.

"If this information is indeed accurate, it is completely objectionable and makes a mockery of the rule of law," Selfe said.

- SAPA