Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

South African parole board postpones Pistorius hearing

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A parole hearing to decide if Oscar Pistorius should be let out of jail before serving his full five-year sentence for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp has been postponed, a spokeswoman for the Paralympian's family said on Friday.

South African parole board postpones Pistorius hearing
(Reuters)

The hearing had been scheduled for Friday. South African media said the reason for the postponement was so Steenkamp's family could provide submissions.

"It has been postponed until Oct. 21. I have not been given the official reason for this," family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess said.

Pistorius, a Paralympic gold medallist, was due to have been released on parole in August after serving 10 months but Justice Minister Michael Masutha blocked his release, saying the parole hearing had been held prematurely.

The Parole Review Board upheld Masutha's decision this week.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

However, now that the athlete has served a sixth of his sentence, the parole board can legally consider whether or not he should be released to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

Pistorius was found guilty in September 2014 of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter, after he fired four 9 mm shots through a locked toilet door at his Pretoria home, killing Steenkamp almost instantly.

At a globally televised trial he argued that he had mistaken Steenkamp for a burglar.

Prosecutors are appealing the culpable homicide verdict, arguing it should be murder because Pistorius must have known that the person behind the door could be killed. That appeal is due to be heard on Nov. 3.

(Reporting by Zandi Shabalala and Ed Stoddard; Editing by Ed Cropley)


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world