Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to 13 years in jail in 2017 for murder his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp/ Photo: AP

Former Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole because he had not served the “minimum detention period” required to be released from prison following his murder conviction for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

In a statement on Friday, South Africa's Department of Corrections said the parole board ruled Pistorius would be able to apply again in August 2024.

The board cited a new clarification on Pistorius' sentence that was issued by South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal three days ago, according to the statement.

The result was a surprise but there has been legal wrangling over when Pistorius should be eligible for parole because of the series of appeals in his case.

He was initially convicted of culpable homicide in 2014 but the case went through a number of appeals before Pistorius was finally sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for murder in 2017.

TRT Afrika