South Africa suspends release of Pistorius

The shamed paralympian, who was convicted last year of manslaughter for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is demanding to be treated as a king – as a leading South Africa lawyer warned he could be behind bars for years following the last minute decision not to release him early from his sentence. However, the 28-year-old athlete was granted an August release, on the condition of house arrest, in June. It appears that as a general rule, South Africans who’ve committed crimes and behaved well in prison are automatically released on parole after serving a sixth of their sentence, with all the discussion and paperwork on the matter having been dealt with earlier.

“It smacks of political interference”, said Marius du Toit, a defense lawyer and former state prosecutor. Pistorius’s high profile and disability mean he escaped such indignities, he added.

A Pistorius family spokeswoman denied reports that the athlete’s family was planning to challenge the justice ministry’s intervention in court. “They think he is getting away with murder”.

His release would have coincided with South Africa’s “Women’s Month” campaign, which highlights violence against women.

Pistorius was taken into police custody and was formally charged with murder in a Pretoria court on 15 February 2013. “They built a bath in his cell”, he said.

Now fame may be hurting Pistorius.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha said on Wednesday a parole board decision taken in June to free Pistorius and allow him to serve out the rest of his sentence under house arrest was “premature” and had been suspended pending review. What cut even deeper was the fact that he would be released in Women’s Month.

After behaving well in jail, Pistorius was approved by a parole board in June for release this past Friday, when he would have served the required one-sixth of his sentence in jail.

Mr Masutha put Pistorius’s early release – scheduled for Friday – on hold, saying it was approved too soon.

“They have always had faith in the justice system”, said lawyer Koen. “And they replaced his bed for him”.