South Africa: Pistorius must remain in prison

Ex-sports star Pistorius, convicted of murdering his girlfriend, will not be released from prison sooner. The South African judiciary rejected such an application. This was due to a bureaucratic error.

Many South Africans had been following the parole hearing of former top athlete Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted of manslaughter, with excitement. Now it is clear: The 36-year-old will not be released.

The South African correctional authority has refused a parole. A new application for parole could be made in August 2024, the correctional authority said in a statement.

The reason for the refusal was a bureaucratic error, said a spokesman for the authority. Pistorius has not yet served half of his 13-year and five-month sentence, which would have automatically entitled him to a parole hearing under South African law, as originally thought. It was unclear how the error could have occurred in advance.

Pistorius shot his then girlfriend

Pistorius killed his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with four shots through the toilet door of his villa in the capital Pretoria on the night of Valentine’s Day 2013. Pistorius testified in court that he had fired several times because he feared a burglar behind the door. But the evidence spoke against him.

The case against Pistorius, who was amputated below both knees, dragged on for years and went through several instances. The former athlete initially received a five-year prison sentence in 2014. This was increased to six years in 2016. After another revocation by the public prosecutor, Pistorius was finally sentenced to 13 years and five months at the end of 2017.

“We never believed him”

Pistorius and the mother of the killed Reeva Steenkamp appeared before the parole board. It’s a very stressful day, mother June Steenkamp said when she arrived at the prison. It was “very difficult” for her to sit in the same room with Pistorius. Her husband was unable to come due to illness. “Before he dies he has one wish and that is for Oscar to just tell us exactly what happened that night,” the parents said in a statement read before the parole board.

The Steenkamp family had pleaded against parole. Pistorius has shown no remorse and there are still open questions that he did not answer in court at the time. “We never believed him,” said June Steenkamp. Ten years after the fact, the Steenkamps still mourned their daughter every day, said the parents’ legal representative, Tania Koen, in front of the cameras: “Time has not healed their wounds.”

Once a celebrated athlete

As a child, Pistorius had both legs amputated below the knees because of a genetic defect. With carbon prostheses specially made for him, he won six gold medals at the Paralympic Games.

In 2012 he achieved his ambitious goal: Pistorius was the first athlete with both legs amputated to take part in the Olympic Games. He even reached the semifinals in the 400m. In South Africa he was celebrated as a hero at the time. After his conviction, Pistorius almost completely disappeared from the limelight.