SOUTH AFRICA | SO WHY WASN'T OSCAR PISTORIUS ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE?

 The Pistorius family is seeking clarity on why the Department of Justice got it wrong regarding Oscar’s time served.

The department this week said the former Paralympian, who is serving a 13-and-a-half year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is eligible for parole.

But after the parole board sat for the whole day and heard representations from both Pistorius and Reeva’s mother June, it emerged that a clarification order from the Supreme Court of Appeal dated the 28th of March indicated Pistorius has not served the minimum detention term.

He will only be considered again next year.

One legal expert explains how the confusion came about.

“The confusion comes in the fact that he has been sentenced three times in this matter," said Ulrich Roux.

"But the sentence that is of importance is the final sentence handed down by the Supreme Court of Appeal which confirmed that he was convicted of murder and that he should serve a minimum period of imprisonment of 15 years, but then also taking into account the time that he had already served.”

ENCA