A former Western Cape police officer, sentenced for the murder of his three children, has been granted parole.
Spokesperson at the Department of Correctional Services, Singabakho Nxumalo, said Marius van der Westhuizen appeared before the Parole Board and Correctional Supervision (CSPB) earlier this week and was granted parole, effect from July 31.
"This decision adheres to Section 73 of the Correctional Services Act, which outlines the minimum sentence period that must be served before parole consideration.
"This was Van der Westhuizen's third appearance before the CSPB, with his first session occurring in December 2022. Parole was not granted at that time due to the need for further profiling," Nxumalo said.
He said Van der Westhuizen has accepted responsibility for his crimes and has participated in therapeutic and other rehabilitation interventions.
"The victims were involved in the parole-hearing process and have been informed of the CSPB's decision.
"Prior to his release, Van der Westhuizen will attend pre-release programmes to help him transition to life after incarceration.
"Upon his release, he will complete the remainder of his sentence under community corrections, monitored according to parole conditions. His sentence is set to expire in September 2034," Nxumalo.
Van der Westhuizen was sentenced to 24 years for the murder of his children; 16-year-old Bianca, five-year-old Marius and 21-month-old Antoinette.
The Weekend Argus previously reported that Van der Westhuizen, formerly of Brackenfell, was the acting station commander at Claremont police station in 2006 and killed his children after his wife, Charlotte, lied to him.
The publication reported that moments before pulling the trigger, Van der Westhuizen gave Charlotte an ultimatum to choose between her job or him and their family, and when she answered that she could not make such a choice, he killed their children.
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