Supreme Court: Parole denial for Oscar Pistorius was a mistake

The correctional authority made a mistake when it rejected his application for parole a good six months ago. What would happen next remained unclear at first. The correctional authority said it was reviewing the order and would “comment on further action in due course.”

The authority had argued that Pistorius could only apply for parole in August 2024. The 36-year-old had not yet served half of his sentence of 13 years and five months, which under South African law automatically entitles him to a parole hearing, was the justification given by the correctional authority in March.

The Constitutional Court announced that the correct date for calculating the parole entitlement was July 6, 2016. The authority used the wrong date. Confusion arose because the former athlete initially received a prison sentence of five years in 2014. This was increased to six years in 2016. After repeated objections from the public prosecutor, Pistorius was finally sentenced to 13 years and five months at the end of 2017. The Constitutional Court has now said that Pistorius served half of his sentence, taking into account the correct date on March 21, 2023.

Pistorius killed his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with four shots through the toilet door of his villa in the capital Pretoria on the night of Valentine’s Day 2013. The proceedings against Pistorius dragged on for years and went through several instances.

Pistorius said at the time that he fired several times because he feared there was a burglar behind the door. But the evidence was against him.

At the Paralympic Games, Pistorius won six gold medals on specially made carbon prostheses. As a child, his legs were amputated below the knees due to a genetic defect.