Pretoria - Clive Derby Lewis's wife was caught by security officials trying to sneak the offender a laptop in hospital.
Derby Lewis - who is serving a 25-year sentence for the role he played in the murder of South African Communist Party Secretary General Chris Hani - is in hospital after having a skin graft on his leg.
He has had two operations done on his right leg after bumping it against an iron bed base, which led to infection.
Mrs Gaye Derby-Lewis brought in the laptop without following the Correctional Services Department procedures, resulting in it being confiscated by Emergency Support Team members.
Departmental policy and regulations state that offenders, those doing particularly computer studies, are allowed access to a computer only after following strict procedures.
An application must be submitted and checked by an educationist who also must verify such registration with the relevant educational institution.
Before approval is granted, the computer must be checked by the department's IT unit to ensure that it cannot be used for anything other than studies.
The department said it would investigate the conduct and determine if any further steps are required following the incident.
