South Africa: Oscar Pistorius Placed On Parole From Friday

Jim Thurston / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Oscar Pistorius in the first round of the 400m at the London 2012 Olympic Games (file photo).
4 January 2024
SAnews.gov.za (Tshwane)

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) says a decision taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) on 24 November 2023 to place inmate Oscar Pistorius on parole remains valid and is to be enforced.

Pistorius's parole will be effective from 5 January 2024.

"... Pistorius shall be admitted into the system of Community Corrections and will be monitored until the expiry date of his sentence in 2029," said the department in a statement.

Pistorius was convicted of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal sentenced the former Paralympian to 13 years in prison after the State applied to have his initial six-year prison sentence increased.

Pistorius fired four shots through a bathroom door, claiming that he believed there was an intruder in his home.

The department said while Pistorius had an elevated public profile, it did not make him different from other inmates or warrant inconsistent treatment.

"Consequently, the details in terms of transportation plans and time of release, shall not be made public. Disclosing such details may result in a security threat for the inmate and other stakeholders involved. Therefore, DCS has to carefully manage that particular risk."

General parole conditions will apply to Pistorius.

"He will be expected to be home at particular hours of the day. He may not consume alcohol and other prohibited substances. Participation in other programmes that would have been identified by the CSPB will also be compulsory for him. Just like other parolees, Pistorius is restricted from conducting media interviews."

The department said South Africa has opted for a victim-centred criminal justice system and as a result, inmates and parolees are never paraded.

Therefore, it said, media opting to camp outside any correctional facility may not be prevented from carrying out their work, as per their line of duty, but it would not be possible for them to get shots or moving visuals of Pistorius.

"Newly placed parolees may be vulnerable and do require a support system to adjust to the normal way of living. The caregiver (or family) is responsible for such support, working together with DCS monitoring officials," the department said.

Read the original article on SAnews.gov.za.

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