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The Department of Correctional Services says the so-called "Waterkloof Four" have been officially placed on parole.
Department spokesperson, Manelisi Wolela, says the four youths had been sentenced to 12 years for murdering a homeless person in Waterkloof, Pretoria, in December 2001, but had benefited from the President's Special Remission of Sentence of six months.
Wolela says parole placement is, internationally, one of a series of tools used by prison and correctional systems to manage inmate populations.
He says the placement of the Waterkloof Four on parole is part of an ongoing process where an estimated 64 offenders are paroled every day.
"What is also critical for us to know is on an annual basis we release about 23 000-24 000 offenders placing them on parole across the country. As we were releasing the so called Waterkloof 4 we were also releasing 49 other offenders across the country" he said.
