A two-day summit on review of the parole boards, with a special focus on parole granted on medical grounds, will begin on Wednesday at Boksburg, Gauteng.

"The summit will tackle, among other issues, the challenges and successes of the parole boards in relation to the appointment of board members, their composition and functioning thereof," said the Department of Correctional Services.

Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will lead the summit which seeks to review the country's parole system since its inception four years ago.

There was an outcry in March when the department released convicted Durban fraudster Schabir Shaik on medical parole. Shaik, the former financial adviser to President Jacob Zuma, served just over two years of his 15-year prison term, most of which was spent in hospital.