South Africa’s prisons department has announced the release of Oscar Pistorius on parole, nearly 11 years after the shocking murder of his girlfriend that deeply impacted a nation already grappling with pervasive violence against women.
Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner” due to his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, fatally shot 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Maintaining that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder, Pistorius fired four shots into the bathroom at his Pretoria residence. He has consistently appealed against his conviction on the grounds of this mistaken identity.
Confirming his parole status, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) stated, “Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024. He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home.”
Pistorius, now 37, has served approximately eight and a half years in prison and spent seven months under house arrest before his murder conviction. Following a parole board decision in November, considering completion of more than half his sentence, he has been granted release.
