Members of the Pistorius family have told Sky News that Oscar’s release has brought them a measure of clarity after an exhausting and protracted legal battle that spanned almost a decade.
They said that they are desperately happy to welcome him home, and he is surrounded by those who love him.
As a disabled individual, they assert that Pistorius suffered numerous hardships inside the correction system, but they believe that he has served his time.
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They told Sky News that Oscar Pistorius is not the same man who entered the custody of the correctional services in 2013. The mistake that he made is something he will regret for the rest of his life, they added.
Pistorius does not have a plan for the immediate future – other than fulfilling his parole conditions, which includes getting a job.
Family members believe that he will continue to serve society in the most meaningful way that he can, just as he did when he was an athlete.
His disability drove him to help others – whenever and wherever he could – and they think that is unlikely to change.
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Read more:
The fall of Oscar Pistorius
What are his parole conditions?
‘Has there been justice for Reeva?’
Pistorius – a double amputee who became an Olympian and a global star – has served nine years behind bars for the fatal shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
He had fired four times through a locked toilet cubicle door – hitting Ms Steenkamp in the head, hip and hand – and maintains he had mistaken her for a dangerous intruder.
However, prosecutors alleged that he intentionally killed her in anger during an argument.
In a statement following his release on parole, Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June said she accepted Pistorius’s parole, but the pain of her daughter’s death remained “raw and real”.
She added: “Has there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back. We who remain behind are the ones serving a life sentence.”
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Pistorius will face strict parole conditions until his sentence expires in 2029 – including a ban on consuming alcohol and speaking to the media.
The 37-year-old is also required to attend programmes on anger management and violence against women, and complete community service.
He could be jailed once again if he breaches any of these conditions.
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Officials at a prison in Pretoria described his release as an “operation” that was designed to avoid a media scramble.
The decision to release Pistorius has divided opinion in the city – and while some say he deserves a second chance, others regard his punishment as too lenient.
Bulelwa Adonis, a spokesperson for Women For Change, said: “We are talking about somebody’s life that’s been taken… The fact that someone can walk out free eight years later, it tells us that it’s not that big of a deal.”
