Wife killer Omar Sabadia is due to be released on parole on June 20 after spending only about 20 years in jail, of his effective 50-year jail term.
However, his three children, who were still young when their mother was killed, are totally opposed to his release. “We were mere children when our mother Zahida was killed in 1996.
“It was very difficult for us growing up without a mother. We have finally started living our lives. We are simply not prepared for that guy’s release,” Khatija Ahmed told the Laudium Sun.
She was only 4 years old when her mother was killed. Her sister Anjum Moosa was 9 and their brother Parvez Ahmed was 6.
Sabadia made headlines when he was arrested for the killing of his beautiful wife, who was a medical student at the time.
Zahida went missing in February 1996. Her body was found 22 days later tied to a tree in Ga-Rankuwa. Her husband eventually led a team of detectives to the spot where she was killed after he had made a confession.
She had been strangled not far from where she and her husband were “hijacked” after buying food at a fast food outlet.
In court it emerged that Sabadia, a well-known psychiatrist at the time, had hired three thugs to murder his wife. He was sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment. The three thugs also received long prison sentences - Albert Moeketsane got 40 years; Richard Malema got 25 years; and Patrick Manyape also received 25 years, however his sentence was reduced to 15 on appeal.
Sabadia believes he is now entitled to his freedom as, according to him, he has paid his dues. But the words of the judge who sentenced him in 1998 came back to haunt him; it was recommended by the judge that Sabadia serve at least 35 years of his sentence before parole is considered.
Sabadia turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in March for an urgent order that the Parole Board convene to consider his parole. The board had denied him parole on at least two occasions. The court ordered that the board had to reconsider his parole within 30 days. The Parole Board then decided that he be released on June 20.
But his three children, who attended previous parole hearings and opposed his release, are now extremely upset that they were not informed of the latest parole hearing and given a chance to voice their objections to his release.
Parole objection
Their lawyer, Ahmed Suliman, wrote to the commissioner of the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, where Sabadia is being held to object to the parole, which was granted without first hearing the children's views.
He said that in terms of the law they had a right to be heard as they were directly affected by the decision, and that it was irregular to grant parole without their input.
Suliman asked that the matter be referred to the Parole Review Board for reconsideration, failing which he would consider turning to the court for assistance.
Khatija told the Laudium Sun that the reason she was opposed to the parole of her father was because this would send the wrong message to the many others guilty of femicide. “I have faith in the criminal justice system. However, his release will send out the wrong message. He only sat for 20 years after having my mother murdered so cruelly and leaving her body to the elements for so many days. We saw him for the first time since our mother was killed, during the parole hearing. He did not even apologise; instead we received an ice-cold look.”
Khatija added, “Although we think of our mom everyday, we are now slowly moving on with the support of our family, especially my grandfather and also with the faith we have in the Almighty.”
Anjum said that she regretted asking to see her father after her mother’s death. “On impulse and being young, I wanted to see him. When he walked into the room, he looked straight ahead, he did not even have the courage to make eye contact with us. If anyone else was in his place, I’m sure they would have been on their knees, begging their children for forgiveness.
“I was angry that the very same person who was supposed to protect my mother, planned her killing and then acted as if he had become the victim. As much as my mother was the victim, we, the children, are also victims. How do you do something like this to your children?”
Anjum added that there was also an element of fear for the children if he was released. “We are making progress in our lives. We don't want to regress.”
Khatija said rehabilitation was all about acknowledging one's mistakes and apologising. She said that they were upset when they received a message a few years ago from someone who visited Sabadia in jail, “he gave them a letter, where he used the excuse of being bipolar. After many years he was still shifting the blame and not accepting that he was wrong. We feel that he is not ready to come out from prison. Nor are we ready to accept that he be freed.”
Khatija Ahmed said they are not ready for Sabadia’s release.
In happier times: Wife killer, Omar Sabadia, with his late wife Zahida.