Famous South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been serving time since 2014 for the killing of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp. He was granted parole and is expected to be released this Friday after the parole decision was made public in local media earlier this week.
In announcing the parole terms, the South African Correctional Service (DCS) described the general conditions that Pistorius must observe. These include home confinement during specified hours and restrictions on alcohol and other substances. Officials stressed that, like all parolees, Pistorius is prohibited from giving interviews to the media.
The conditions will remain in effect until the end of his sentence in 2029. DCS also noted that Pistorius’s high public profile does not grant him special treatment or different rules from other inmates.
Pistorius was released on parole on November 14 after a closed hearing at Atteridgeville Prison in Pretoria.
This marks the second parole request by Pistorius. The first request, made in March, was denied. He argued that the time served and the minimum period required for parole had been unjustly increased and that his fundamental rights were violated. The case moved to the courts for review.
In October of the previous year, the South African Constitutional Court ruled that Pistorius was eligible for parole. Before the trial resumed in November, the mother of Steenkamp expressed doubts about whether Pistorius had been rehabilitated, a sentiment conveyed in a letter read by his lawyers. She also emphasized that officials should apply parole policies and procedures consistently if Pistorius is deemed rehabilitated.
Pistorius, who shot and killed Steenkamp, was 29 at the time and had risen to global fame through his sprinting career. On Valentine’s Day 2013 he was at home in Pretoria when he fired four shots through a closed bathroom door, an act he described as a panic response after mistaking Steenkamp for a burglar breaking in through a bathroom window.
Steenkamp’s mother, in her letter, expressed that she did not believe Pistorius’ account. She noted that her daughter’s cries for help were heard by neighbors. The trial drew international attention, and Pistorius was initially sentenced for manslaughter in 2014. The prosecution challenged that verdict, leading to higher court rulings over the ensuing years.
In 2015, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the manslaughter conviction and found Pistorius guilty of murder, sending the case back to a lower court. A 2016 sentence of six years for murder was then increased in 2017 to a fifteen-year term, the minimum under South African law for such cases, barring exceptional circumstances. In practice, the resulting time in prison equated to thirteen years and five months after deductions for time already served and related release conditions.
Pistorius’s life story includes a medical history that began with a genetic condition requiring the amputation of both legs below the knees when he was eleven months old. He later became a symbol of resilience by competing in the London Olympics with carbon prostheses, drawing attention to his unique athletic achievements as well as the controversial legal case that followed.
The ongoing dialogue surrounding Pistorius’s release continues to echo in South Africa and beyond, with observers and supporters weighing questions of rehabilitation, accountability, and the consistency of parole processes across the criminal justice system. [Citation: South African Legal Review, 2024; Official DCS statements, 2024].