Last-minute decision means that Oscar Pistorius will remain in jail

IT was widely expected that Pistorius, convicted for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2014 would be allowed out of prison this week as he had served one sixth of his sentence.

The release was to be under quite strict conditions and it was expected that he would effectively be under ´house arrest´ at his uncle´s residence. He would have been allowed very few visitors and even his shopping would have to be undertaken for him by a third party.

This option however has now been removed by South Africa’s Justice Minister Michael Masutha. His decision was based on the fact that it appeared that the move to release the athlete after serving just 10 months of a five-year sentence “was taken prematurely” and with “no legal basis”.

The matter of his release has been presented to the parole board for review with no indication of when any decision will be made. It should also be noted that the prosecution has indicated that it will appeal against the original verdict and is looking for the trial to be reviewed and the conviction changed to murder.