Expert says the most important thing is that he shows remorse by giving back to people

Cleaning toilets at the police station, feeding stray dogs or working in a morgue?

While speculation about how Tony Yengeni will serve his monthly 16 hours of community service is rife, correctional services officials say the disgraced former ANC chief whip will know his fate only at the end of the week.

Yengeni was released yesterday from Malmesbury Prison after serving five months of his four-year fraud sentence for flouting parliament's rules by failing to declare a 47% discount on a luxury 4x4 from a contender in the controversial arms deal. At the time, he was serving as chairperson of parliament's defence portfolio committee.

Correctional services' media liaison Luphumzo Kebeni said yesterday that his community service would depend on his probation officer.

Kebeni said Yengeni would be allocated a probation officer, who would then make certain recommendations regarding his community service to the parole board at the Malmesbury Correctional Centre.

"Whatever Mr Yengeni's community service involves, it will be focused on contributing something back to the community and serving a developmental function," he said.

Arina Smit, from the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders - which is frequently asked to supervise community service for young or first offenders - said Nicro believed in "matching the nature of the offence with the community service".

"I don't think it would be useful to send someone like Mr Yengeni to answer the phone at a police station.

"In his case, I think it would be positive for him to get involved in activity that will empower underprivileged communities … for instance, assisting on a low-cost housing project."

The most important thing, Smit said, was "that the offender was able to show remorse by giving back to the community".

Remorse, however, was not something that Yengeni displayed yesterday as he strolled out of prison.

He told supporters: "I am now walking out of this prison - the place I was not supposed to be in the first place."

Then, instead of reporting to correctional services' offices in Cape Town as anticipated, he headed for Gugulethu, where he was welcomed by his father, Leslie, just after 11am.

Yengeni and his wife Lumka then joined dignitaries, including top Western Cape ANC politicians such as James Ngculu (chairperson) and Mcebisi Skwatsha (secretary), and his family for a welcoming ceremony.

While the Democratic Alliance expressed dismay over Yengeni's quick release from jail, Judge Siraj Desai, chairperson of the Parole Review Board, stressed that there was nothing irregular about the length of the prison term.

Judge Desai, who reiterated that Yengeni had not been granted parole and was, as such, not yet a free man, added: "He is still subject to very stringent correctional supervision conditions."

With acknowledgement to Karyn Maughan and The Star.