Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha said in a statement on Wednesday that the decision to release him had been premature.
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The mother of model Reeva Steenkamp has welcomed the decision to delay the release her daughter’s killer Oscar Pistorius from prison.
In South Africa, prisoners must serve one-sixth of their sentence, or 10 months in this case, to be considered for release.
This is because the athlete had not yet served a sixth of his sentence when the decision was made, so may now have to face more months inside before he will be eligible for parole.
“I came to the conclusion that the board had erred in sitting and considering his application for parole before the minimum period that he is required to serve under the relevant provision had lapsed”, Masutha said on Talk Radio 702.
Pistorius’ family accepted the decision but was also considering their options, spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess told the AP.
South Africa’s justice minister has blocked the release on early parole of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius in a move welcomed by his victim Reeva Steenkamp’s family by denounced by many legal experts as politically-motivated.
Reeva Steenkamp would have celebrated her 32nd birthday on Wednesday.
Family and friends gathered in their home town of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to scatter rose petals in the sea and to remember their loss.
Mofokeng said the group was not against Pistorius being released, but felt he was receiving preferential treatment.
“It will depend on how and when the review board is going to hear the matter”, ministry spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga told ENCA news channel, refusing to speculate about the possible date of the athlete’s release.
However, given the four-month timeframe, it is highly unlikely that Pistorius will be freed before the prosecution’s appeal against his acquittal on murder charges is heard in November.
Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter for shooting 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp through a bathroom door in his home, telling the court he believed she was an intruder. She was hoping to be a qualified legal advocate at the age of 30, but that didn’t happen as her life was taken by Oscar Pistorius when she was just 29-years-old.
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The decision was taken after a petition to the minister by the Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa, which includes the African National Congress Women’s League, part of the governing party.
