Serious allegations have come to light implicating senior officials from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) granting special privileges to one of Gqeberha's high-profile murder suspects.
Former businessman Arnold Terblanche, who is accused of orchestrating the murder of his estranged wife Vicki, has been in custody for almost a year and has twice been denied bail.
The 54-year-old Terblanche is currently in custody in the Medium A section of the St Albans Correctional Facility where he is not allowed any contact visits.
Terblanche has, however, reportedly on more than one occasion asked to have contact visits with his son and girlfriend, which were granted by senior officials whose names are known to AlgoaFM News.
The last request made by Terblanche was in a handwritten note dated the 16th of August 2022 and addressed to the Head of the Centre for Medium A.
"I am respectfully asking to have a contact visit from my children on Thursday 18 August 2022," reads the short note.
The request was granted a day before by the two senior officials with one making a note that security should be alert and aware.
A source told AlgoaFM News that one of the senior officials at St Albans had met up with Arnold's girlfriend and children at a parking lot opposite the Greenacres Shopping Centre.
Kystal Wiggill, who has since been given custody of Terblanche's teenage son, has been to every single court appearance since Arnold's arrest in November last year.
The whistleblower also provided a photograph showing the Captain holding his baby and being photographed with Arnold's son and his girlfriend's daughter.
It is alleged that they met up for gifts to be exchanged.
Terblanche also has access to a cellphone that was confiscated during a recent raid but which has since been returned to him and which he is actively using.
Algoa FM News approached the Area Commissioner of St Albans, Solly Netshivhazwaulu, who is allegedly aware of Terblanche's special treatment.
However, he did not respond to any of the newsroom's messages, not even a request to comment off the record.
The inquiry was then escalated to the National Department of Correctional Services who agreed that the allegations were serious and asked for a full report from St Albans.
National spokesperson Singabhako Nxumalo said he would comment once the report is received.
Earlier this week, one of the officials who met with Arnold's family was moved from Medium A section to Medium B where he will no longer be in charge of Terblanche
A second source confirmed to Algoa FM News that the second implicated official had not returned to work since the raid took place - she's believed to be on sick leave.
Terblanche has since launched a third attempt for bail based on new facts and the outcome is expected on the 30th of September when he is also expected back in court with his two-co accused Reinhardt Leach and Dylan Cullis.
According to the State, Vicki Terblanche was killed inside her house on 18 October 2021, a day before she was due to appear in court for her divorce matter with Arnold.
Leach, a former teacher, was named as the one who drugged her with Percocet, a schedule 6 drug, before suffocating her with a pillow.
Both accused number two Dylan Cullis, and a friend, Mario De Ridder, were present at the time of the murder until her body was buried in a shallow grave in Greenbushes.
The State revealed that De Ridder has made an affidavit in terms of Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act, in which he sets out the roles of the various role-players.
This, while Cullis who pointed out where Vicki's body was buried, made a confession and explained his role and that of the others to the police.
Both Leach and Cullis have abandoned their bid for bail.
