Mr Masutha said the decision to allow Pistorius to leave jail was made “prematurely” – just hours before he was legally eligible for parole.
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The decision to release Pistorius “is suspended until the Parole Review Board has decided on the matter”.
Pistorius acknowledged firing shots through the bathroom door in his home, but said he thought there was an intruder in the bathroom rather than his girlfriend. His decision will be announced before Friday, the department said.
Oscar Pistorius will not be released from prison this Friday after it was ruled the decision to the move him to house arrest was made “too early”. But he was approved for parole in June, eight months into his sentence.
He was found guilty for culpable homicide.
It is unclear how the prison will proceed with future parole hearings or Oscar Pistorious’ eventually release.
“Incarceration of 10 months for taking a life is simply not enough”.
Pistorius impending release goes along with South african law which states that a prisoner who qualifies for house arrest could be sent home as long as he exemplifies good behaviour. “This decision of the parole board is outrageous and an affront to the aim of women’s month”.
Family lawyer Tania Koen told The Associated Press that Steenkamp’s parents, Barry and June, are concentrating this week on marking what would have been their daughter’s 32nd birthday on Wednesday.
The double-amputee Olympic athlete is expected to be released Friday to spend the remainder of his five-year sentence under house arrest.
The statement said the government decided to stop the release after a group, Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa, protested Pistorius’ release.
The athlete, known as the “Blade Runner” for the prosthetic legs he wears on the track, won international fame after racing against able-bodied competitors in the 2012 London Olympics.
Prosecutors however, are currently attempting to have the charge upgraded from culpable homicide to murder, which would give Pistorius a minimum of 51 years in prison.
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Earlier this week, prosecutors filed the written arguments for their appeal against his murder acquittal.
