The Constitutional Court has clarified that jailed Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was eligible for parole consideration in March 2023. This comes after Pistorius recently turned to the apex court in a final bid on the correct interpretation of his parole eligibility.
In papers filed before the apex court, Pistorius sought direct access, which was granted, for clarity on the November 2017 order of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), which sentenced him to 13 years and 5 months. This was an increase from the sentence of six years he was given in 2016.
The sentence imposed by the SCA took into consideration that Pistorius had already served a period of imprisonment and correctional supervision.
Papers reveal, however, that in March 2023, the SCA issued a communique before the sitting of his parole hearing that the sentence of the November 2017 order is effective from 24 November 2017.
Pistorius stated in papers that the said communication is not correct. He is currently serving time for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The Department of Correctional Services says that it’s studying the order and shall in due course pronounce itself on the way forward.
“Correctional Services (DCS) has received an order from the Constitutional Court on the proper interpretation of the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgment delivered on 24 November 2017. Briefly, the matter relates to the sentence given to inmate Oscar Leonard Pistorius, its effective date and the impact on the calculation of the minimum detention period. As a department, we are studying the order and shall in due course pronounce itself on the way forward. This shall ensure that the order of court is correctly executed,” says Singabakho Nxumalo, DCS spokesperson.
