Question NW1800 to the President of the Republic
27 August 2020 - NW1800
Mente, Ms NV to ask the President of the Republic
Whether he has been informed that Andrew Babeile, who was sentenced for stabbing a fellow white pupil after racial violence at his school in Vryburg in 1999, is struggling to secure a sustainable job because of the criminal record he carries; if so, (2) whether his Office has considered giving Andrew Babeile a Presidential pardon, taking into account the (a) circumstances which led to the incident and (b) fact that the magistrate who convicted him was a chairperson of the school governing body that had initially expelled him from the school?
Reply:
The Department of Justice and Correctional Services receives and considers applications forPresidential pardons. The Department undertakes an evaluation of the matter and prepares a recommendation to the President on whether or not it will be in the public interest to grant a pardon. All matters are considered on their own merit and the recommendation is forwarded by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services to the President.
I have been informed that with regard to the matter of Mr Babeile, the Department of Justice does not have any record of such a matter being received and therefore have not prepared any recommendation for the President in respect of this matter.
Thus, there is no record of any application for pardon received from Mr Babeile and the President is not aware of his circumstances. His matter would be considered by the Department of Justice and Correctional Services upon receipt of a written application.