Convicted rapist and former tennis champ Bob Hewitt, 79, will not be released on parole as earlier reported, as the parole board has not yet made a decision about his release.
Hewitt, 79, was convicted for the rape of two young women and sexually assaulting another who he coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
He was found guilty of rape in 2015.
According to a report by The Citizen on Thursday, the lawyer of one of Hewitt's victims was informed that a decision to release Hewitt was taken after the parole board sat on August 23.
He was reportedly due for release on parole on September 23.
The lawyer for one of the victims of disgraced former tennis player Bob Hewitt had reportedly requested that a decision by the correctional services to release him on parole be reviewed.
But according to a statement by Singabakho Nxumalo, spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), the parole board has not yet made a decision on whether Hewitt will be released or not.
"Offender Bob Hewitt is serving his sentence at North End Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape region," Nxumalo said.
"DCS will be guided by the recommendations of Correctional Supervision and Parole Board on either to grant or deny Mr Hewitt parole at this stage.
"The offender has indeed served the minimum required time to be considered for parole by the board.
"Once the decision has been made, it will [be] communicated to the parties involved, which includes the offender, victims of crime and their families," Nxumalo said.
In September 2018, Hewitt had applied for parole, after having served two years of his sentence.
He later changed his application and opted to have the remainder of his sentence converted to house arrest, News24 previously reported. His request was denied.
The Australian-born Hewitt won nine Grand Slam doubles and six mixed doubles titles.
He also reached the semi-finals of the men's singles at the Australian Open three times and won the Davis Cup with South Africa in 1974 after moving to this country.