Oscar deserved life - NFPYM

Johannesburg - Paralympian Oscar Pistorius should have been given a harsher sentence, the National Freedom Party Youth Movement (NFPYM) said on Tuesday.

"We all know that Pistorius shed crocodile tears each time he had a chance to do so, when he knew exactly that he murdered an innocent woman who had a bright future ahead of her because of his insecurities," secretary general Maria Busi Tshabalala said in a statement.

"As far as we are concerned, Oscar deserved life imprisonment."

Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of culpable homicide. For discharging a firearm at Tasha's restaurant in January 2013, he was sentenced to three years in jail, suspended for five years.

The sentences would run concurrently, Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled.

The IFP Women's Brigade welcomed the sentence but said he should not get parole.

"He should serve the sentence associated with such a crime before he can be released," chairwoman Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said in a statement.

"Those guilty of killing must be subjected to serve their full sentence without parole."

She said the IFP Women's Brigade wanted Pistorius to be treated like any other criminal.

Gun Free SA said it was surprised at the suspended sentence for the firearm offence.

"It is one of the most serious offences in terms of the [Firearms Control] act," it said.

"The act says you can get up to 15 years... and that signals that the law sees this as a serious offence."

The organisation said it was irrelevant whether someone was hurt or not.

"The point is the discharge of a firearm puts people's lives at risk...

"We are not sure if [the suspended sentence] sends a strong enough message to gun owners that that behaviour is unacceptable."

Oscar will embrace sentence

Gun Free SA welcomed the decision by the court to declare Pistorius unfit to own firearms and that all his existing certificates and guns be handed in.

Following the sentencing, the Paralympian's uncle Arnold said Pistorius would embrace the five-year prison sentence.

"We accept the judgment. Oscar will embrace the sentence," Arnold told the media.

The ANC Women's League said the sentence signalled a sad day for women in the country.

"We are saddened by the judgment... we have never been happy with the conviction of culpable homicide, instead of murder," spokesperson Jacqui Mofokeng said outside court.

"We call for the national prosecutions to appeal this sentence... and do it for our society."

The head of the National Prosecuting Authority, Mxolisi Nxasana, told Parliament's portfolio committee on justice on Tuesday he would discuss the five-year prison sentence handed down, and a possible appeal, with prosecutors.