Convicted killer Najwa Petersen has been granted parole. Najwa was sentenced to 28 years in prison after she was found to be the mastermind behind her husband’s death in 2006.
The theatre director and musician was 56 years old when he was shot and killed in his Athlone, Cape Town, home.
The Department of Correctional Services confirmed that Najwa appeared before the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board in early September. She was granted a parole placement date of November 27, 2024.
According to an official statement, Correctional Services noted that the decision was made by Section 73 of the Correctional Services Act. This requires that the minimum sentence period be served before parole consideration.
The “District Six: The Musical” director’s family was involved in the parole hearing and was informed of the department’s decision.
Najwa began serving her 28-year sentence on February 11, 2009, for murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
While in prison, she “participated in various rehabilitation programmes.” She will start her pre-release programmes to prepare her for reintegration into society.
Najwa will serve the remainder of her sentence under community corrections and monitored according to parole conditions.
This ultimately means she is not allowed to leave her magisterial district without informing her parole officer, and not allowed to conduct media interviews.
According to the Cape Argus, some of Taliep’s family members were unhappy with the parole ruling and are considering appealing.
During the Victim Offender Dialogue in August, Najwa brought some closure to Taliep’s murder by admitting she had “a partial involvement” in his murder.
Words:Fame Frenzy
