A prisoners' rights organisation has called on Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour to publicly announce the conditions attached to former ANC chief whip and convicted fraudster Tony Yengeni's correctional supervision.

Golden Miles Bhudu, president of the South African Prisoner's Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr), said: "As long as correctional services continues to hide the conditions attached to Yengeni's correctional supervision conditions, political parties will continue to whinge as they try to score political points."

Bhudu said South Africa was witnessing a strange period in its history when former political activists like Yengeni and another convicted fraudster, Shabir Schaik's, calibre thought their political credentials entitled them to act as they pleased.

"All these reports on Yengeni bunking his correctional supervision services and Schaik trying his best to escape staying in prison cells make a mockery of the rules which they, as rank and profile members of the ruling ANC, helped to mould.

"All this sets a bad precedent for Correctional Services Minister Balfour and the whole government," said Bhudu.

In response to DA MP James Selfe's assertions in Parliament this week that Yengeni was bunking his correctional supervision conditions, Balfour said: "The DA's persistence in trying to find us wrong in releasing Yengeni is just an act of vengeance, due to the fact that he (Yengeni) is the member of the ANC."

Selfe said he had been told that Yengeni had reported only once to Gugulethu's Educare Centre where he was to perform his community service.

Balfour countered: "According to Yengeni's file, which was supplied to me by the correctional supervision officials, he had not transgressed any rules and he always reported as required. I am prepared to discipline Yengeni if he derails from the prescribed rules."

Yengeni was convicted of defrauding Parliament in 2003 by not disclosing a 47% discount on a luxury Mercedes Benz 4X4.

He was released from the Malmesbury prison on January 15 after having served 20 weeks of a four-year sentence.

Balfour said people had to understand that the role of his department was to interpret the sentences imposed by the courts.

"Yengeni was released after having served a one-sixth of his sentence and more, he was eligible for a 20-months remission like all other inmates who qualified under the Presidential pardon - this applied to those convicted before June 2005, for some categories, of course"

With acknowledgements to Zama Feni and Cape Times.