South Africa issues arrest warrant for Pistorius

The warrant of arrest was isued by South Africa’s prosecuting authority.

But he will soon be brought back to court for re-sentencing to murder after a South African appeals court overturned his earlier manslaughter verdict to murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who had been a model. The ruling comes a month after he was freed to live at his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria where he will remain under house arrest until he is re-sentenced next year.

“I’m satisfied with everything”, Reeva’s father Barry Steenkamp told reporters shortly after the unanimous ruling by five appeal court judges.

“The identity of his victim is irrelevant to his guilt”, the judge said.

Pistorius’ family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess said that the family would wait for lawyer’s advice and take action accordingly.

He spent a year in prison and was released in October to serve the remainder of his five-year sentence under house arrest.

Johann Engelbrecht, a criminal lawyer who is not involved in the Pistorius case, said it is doubtful the former athlete’s lawyers could challenge the murder conviction by appealing to the Constitutional Court.

As a result the conviction was changed to murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in South Africa. All this would happen ahead of the court’s sentencing proceedings, Mfaku said.

He said during his trial a year ago that he mistook her for an intruder when he opened fire at the locked door of his bedroom toilet.

It was never disputed that Pistorius killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013.

Known as the “blade runner”, he made history by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete in the 2012 Olympics, after his legs were amputated to the knee as a baby.

Many South Africans have applauded the court’s decision on social media, saying justice has now been served for Reeva Steenkamp.

Mfaku said prosecutors, Pistorius’ defence team and the judge had to find a suitable court date where all parties would be available.