“He has served his sentence, and he should be given the opportunity to reintegrate into society.”
These are the sentiments of Mitchell’s Plain Community Policing Forum chair, Norman Jantjes on the upcoming parole release of convicted rapist and murderer, Norman Afzal Simons.
While his parole has been met with controversy over the past three years, these sentiments are echoed by several community workers and organisations.
Simons, known as the notorious Station Strangler was arrested in the early 90s, charged with the murders of 22 boys aged between nine and early teens. His alleged crime spree dates between 1986 and 1994.
Currently serving his life sentence at Drakenstein Correctional Facility in Paarl, Simons will be released on strict parole conditions – which include 24 hour house arrest.
He will reside with family in Parow and is not allowed to leave the magisterial area.
While he is confined to his home, he will be allowed four hours daily, to seek employment, medical attention and visit the correctional services offices for programmes and meetings, among other conditions. He will also not be allowed in the presence of children.
He will not be allowed to speak to the media.
If any of these conditions are breached, he will be re-arrested.
Under these conditions, he will not be allowed to enter Mitchell’s Plain, where most of his alleged crimes occurred.
Although charged with 22 counts, he had only been convicted of one, the murder of Elroy Van Rooyen (10).
The then Grade 5 teacher at Alpine Primary School is believed to be responsible for raping, sodomising and murdering via strangulation before burying his victims face down in shallow graves. He derived his name from the modus of luring these young victims from train stations.
Due to the way the bodies of the 21 other victims were found, they were linked to Simons, although he had not been charged in any of these cases.
In his parole proceedings, notice had been served to Van Rooyen’s family, as per the parole process.
Legally, this was the only requirement, says Correctional Services Officials.
However, the families of the 21 other victims had also been engaged in this recent parole action.
Lawrence Venter, regional head of Corrections, says Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola took all victims into account.
Venter says Simons would have been released, time served in 2019, had he not appealed his conviction in 1998. His 25-year sentence for murder, with an additional 10 for kidnapping to run concurrently was converted to a life sentence at this failed appeal. He applied for parole in 2019 after serving 25 years. He was denied at that stage.
Serving 25 years is the minimum requirement before applying for parole in a life sentence.
Conditions had been set at that stage, which have since been met, allowing a second attempt at parole this year.
Families of some of the victims were present at an emotionally-charged community engagement on Sunday 16 July at Lentegeur Civic Centre.
Simons is expected to be released on Thursday 20 July.
Residents demanded the cases of these 21 boys be reopened.
“There is no proof that Norman can be liked by the other murders. So, if it is not him, it is someone else out there and that needs to be investigated,” says Jantjes.
Jantjes, who had been present at the time they were searching for the missing boys, recalls hearing about Simons joining the search parties.
“I once jokingly said to him, ‘Norman, are you not the perpetrator, aren’t you the station strangler?’ He laughed at me, only to discover a few days later that he was indeed the person,” says Jantjes.
He was described as a well-dressed, immaculate person who was an excellent teacher and good with children.
The station strangler case united the community back then and has the ability to do so again at the time, says Jantjes. He continued that it was good he was not coming back to Mitchell’s Plain, where most of the murders had been committed.
Another engagement is scheduled for the Parow community, today (18 July).
Admitting this has been an emotive issue, Venter says the cold cases are the mandate of police.
This has opened old wounds and re-traumatised the community, locals reiterated.
Michael Jacobs, community activist and Mitchell’s Plain United Residents’ Association deputy chair, says while he agrees that Simons should be released, he demands more be done for the families of the 21 boys whose cases have never been prosecuted.
“We demand these cases be reopened. We know that forensics is far advanced from that time.
“We demand resources be allocated so that the families of these 21 victims can get the justice they deserve,” says Jacobs.
“We must make a compromise (for Simons’ release). If he is not released, police are not going to own up to their mistakes.”
On the matter of these cold cases, Brig Jan Alexander, Mitchell’s Plain Police Station commander, says the investigation of crimes against women and children is taken seriously by the police.
He, however, could not divulge any details on public record, he says, other than that it will not be closed and continue should any more information come to light.
Police have gone to great lengths to track down dockets required for these cases, say corrections officials, stating it was “rather late than never”.
The decision to engage the residents of Mitchell’s Plain was only taken on Thursday last week, they say, after consultations with the rest of the families. This was to ensure none of the families had heard about this release from sources outside the departments.
Simons will be on parole for the rest of his life.
He is now 56.
