The DA has turned to the country's access to information law to force Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour to supply details about former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni's parole conditions.

Ministerial spokesman Luphumzo Kebeni said yesterday that Balfour was not in a position to comment as yet, since no request had been received.

The DA said yesterday that it would use the Promotion of Access to Information Act to request Yengeni's parole and/or correctional supervision conditions.

Correctional Services was now compelled to release these to the DA within 30 days or risk breaking the law, said DA MP James Selfe.

"The reason I have taken these steps is that Correctional Services has for many years insisted that once an individual is released under correctional supervision, there is a societal responsibility for the community to assist in the reintegration of that person. However, in order to do so, the community must know the conditions of the individual's correctional supervision or parole, so as to know what the individual is entitled to or obliged to do."

Selfe repeated his belief that Yengeni, who was paroled earlier this year, had not complied with his parole or correctional service conditions.

He had written to the minister on February 16 about the issue, but the department had refused to release the information to date. The DA now had to resort to the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

"This is a challenge to Correctional Services to truly fulfill their mandate of openness and transparency," he said.

"This is the perfect opportunity for the department to rectify (its) image and live up to the promise to be accountable to the public of South Africa."

With acknowledgement to the Political Bureau and Cape Argus.