21 years after the murder of university student Leigh Matthews, her killer, Donovan Moodley, may be released on parole.  

Moodley kidnapped Matthews, demanded ransom for her release, but ultimately killed her, with her body found in southern Johannesburg in 2004.  

He pleaded guilty to the related crimes and has since been serving a life sentence at the Leeuwkop Correctional Facility.  

This past Monday, the Department of Correctional Services advised that a parole process for Moodley is underway.  

“It is important to highlight that the parole process for offenders serving life sentences follows several distinct phases,” read the Department’s statement on the matter.  

It involves several phases, including an assessment, recommendations to the National Council of Correctional Services, and a final decision by Minister Pieter Groenewald. The timeline is unclear.  

This follows Moodley’s 2023 court challenge of a Parole Board decision to delay his release, after which the Gauteng High Court ordered a new Board to reconsider his case. 

According to court papers, Moodley approached the court in March that year, after the Parole Board delayed his parole application, referring him for more psychotherapy before being considered again. 

The judge found that the parole hearing was flawed.  

This was not the first time. In 2022, the same judge had already set aside an earlier Parole Board decision against Moodley because no proper record was kept at the time. 

The judge said the Board had shown itself incapable of handling the case fairly. 

“Having been given two opportunities to afford Mr. Moodley a fair hearing followed by a demonstrably rational decision, the Board has shown itself incapable of doing so,” said Judge Wilson in a court document.  

The court further considered whether to simply order Moodley’s release on parole, but instead, the judge ruled that Moodley’s parole application must be heard again by a completely new Parole Board. 

He has not been granted parole as yet.