The former Paralympic star, Oscar Pistorius will be released from jail on Friday, 5 January. He was granted parole almost 11 years after killing his now-deceased girlfriend, model, Reeva Steenkamp by shooting her through a toilet door at his home on Valentines Day in 2013.
The 37-year-old disgraced Blade Runner who is known for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs became eligible for parole in March 2023, Reuters reported. This comes after he had served half of his 13 years and five months sentence for murdering Reeva Steenkamp. He was reportedly granted parole on 24 November 2023. His parole is set to take effect on Friday, 5 January 2024.
While serving his sentence, Pistorius is said to have participated in the restorative justice programme (a system introduced to deal with apartheid-era crimes). On the other hand, Steenkamp’s mother, June, is said to have had no objections to Pistorius’ release. June has however reportedly expressed that she is not convinced Pistorius has indeed been fully rehabilitated – this she said in a statement shared in the run-up to Pistorius’ parole hearing. According to Time Magazine, the Department of Corrections said that the double-amputee Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius will be constantly monitored by parole officials for the next five years until his sentence expires. The Department of Corrections spokesman, Singabakho Nxumalo reportedly shared some details about the former Blade Runner’s parole terms.
Pistorius will not be allowed to leave the area of Pretoria for the duration of his parole; he will also be required to attend a program to deal with anger issues as well as another program on violence against women; and another term to his parole is that he will have to perform community service.
“Parole does not mean the end of the sentence. It is still part of the sentence. It only means the inmate will complete the sentence outside a correctional facility,” Nxumalo was quoted as saying.
Source: The southafrican
