Cwele - no appeal yet against increased sentence

Her lawyer, Madoda Nxumalo, confirmed that the former wife of Minister of State Security Siyabonga Cwele had not lodged an appeal at the Constitutional Court - her last hope of remaining free, says a report in The Citizen. Cwele was convicted of smuggling cocaine in May last year and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. The day before Cwele had her sentence increased to 20 years by the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Constitutional Court ruled that it was not fair for the SCA to increase sentences without warning an applicant that it was considering doing so. Natasha Ramkisson, a spokesperson for the NPA, said the NPA was not expecting any appeal. Full report in The Citizen