The mastermind in the Anni Dewani murder, Zola Tongo, has been granted parole. However, Tongo won’t be walking out of prison gates just yet, as his release date has been set for 21 June 2022.
He will be on parole until 6 June 2028. Tongo, who pleaded guilty to the 2010 murder of Dewani, was sentenced to 18 years behind bars. He became eligible for parole in 2020, after serving half his sentence. It was, however, withdrawn a day before he was due to walk free from the Malmesbury prison because Dewani’s family had protested.
Yesterday he met with the family as part of the victim/offender dialogue programme.
Correctional Services spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, says the “[Department of Correctional Services] will then utilise the period up until the release date for pre-release programmes”.
