Former Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Andile Lungisa, who was convicted of assaulting Democratic Alliance councillor Rano Kayser in 2016 by smashing a glass jar over his head, has been released from prison after serving only two months of his two-year sentence.
According to an IOL report, the Department of Correctional Services confirmed on Tuesday that Lungisa had been placed on parole.
Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services, was quoted as saying that Lungisa was released because he had been classified as a first-time offender with a positive support system. Lungisa would remain subject to correctional supervision for the remainder of his sentence.
Lungisa had challenged his conviction before the Supreme Court of Appeal, which dismissed the appeal on the grounds that the assault had been of a life-threatening nature, and that Lungisa had not only behaved in a manner unbecoming to his status, but had failed to take responsibility for his actions.
Nxumalo said that, under the Special Remission of Sentences granted by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 16 December 2019, Lungisa’s sentence had been reduced by 12 months.