Elroy van Rooyen, who was brutally murdered by Afzal Simons when he was 10 years old, was only advised a week ago that he will be released on parole this week, according to his family.
Simons, dubbed “the station strangler” in the early 1990s, was apprehended following a series of homicides in the Cape Flats.
He was charged with 21 counts of murder but was only convicted of one count of murder and kidnapping of a juvenile.
Simons was sentenced to 35 years in jail in 1995 and has been there for the past 28 years before being evaluated for parole.
However, Delekile Klaas, regional commissioner of correctional services, stated that Simons did not apply for parole yet qualifies for one.