Pretoria - Oscar Pistorius may have evaded the media scrum expecting him to be released from prison on Tuesday, but he hasn’t managed to avoid the public’s intensely critical gaze.
The Paralympian was originally set to be given parole on Tuesday after serving almost exactly a year of his five-year sentence for the killing of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. But media reports surfaced late on Monday confirming he was already at his uncle’s home by 10pm on Monday night.
On Tuesday morning more than 100 local and international journalists camped outside the home where PIstorius will be staying.
Broadcasting cameras were lined along Lawley Road, pointed at the main gates manned by two security guards.
Numerous passing motorists were taking photographs of the media contingent outside the Pistorius home, using cellphones.
While the Department of Correctional Services has not elaborated on its exact reasoning for Pistorius’s early release from Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, its spokesman Manelisi Wolela said that the decision was taken “in the best interest of all parties concerned”, including his victim’s family, the department and Pistorius himself.
“The handling of the actual placement is an operational matter of the local management (at the prison) and how they handle it is their prerogative,” he said.
But it seems like this answer has not been good enough for many South Africans, who took to social networks on Tuesday morning, accusing the athlete of receiving special treatment.
Twitter user, @Sarcasmisms captured the feelings of numerous users in his tweet: “So #OscarPistorius walks out of jail a free man… Not preferential treatment my a**.”
While Twitter has never been a particularly sympathetic environment for Pistorius both prior and post-conviction, many users were especially angry on Tuesday morning.
“If the state cannot punish him, the public will. We will not forgive and we will not forget #OscarPistorius,” wrote @uZamo.
“Oscar is having bacon and egg right now while a poor guy arrested in 2013 for shoplifting is still doing his time. #OscarPistorius,” tweeted @Nsie_Makarova.
But while many believed that Pistorius being released on correctional supervision was tantamount to setting him free, he will still be highly restricted in his movement.
The exact conditions of his parole have not been revealed by DCS to protect Pistorius’s privacy, a statement released did indicate that Pistorius would continue psychotherapy and be prohibited from using firearms in line with the Firearms Control Act.
He will also be under virtual house arrest at his uncle Arnold’s home in the upmarket suburb of Waterkloof, until his parole has been completed in October 2019.
#OscarPistorius There is quite a media presence outside Oscar Pistorius' uncle's house this morning @ReporterStar pic.twitter.com/diyKbwBmnU
— MojoIOL (@mojoIOL) October 20, 2015
In such situations, he will be allowed to leave the home for work, community service obligations, to report occasionally at a designated parole office and potentially athletic training opportunities.
Some on social media blamed the presiding judge in Pistorius’s case, Judge Thokozile Masipa for the athlete’s minimal time in prison. “If we were to turn back the time and give another judge the case, we wouldn’t be in this misery #OscarPistorius,” posted @SihleNotwabaza.
However, Pistorius’s limited freedom could be shortlived.
On November 3 the State’s attempt to appeal against Judge Masipa’s initial conviction of culpable homicide will begin at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.
If the State is successful in its bid, Pistorius could be convicted of murder, sending him back to prison for a lengthier sentence.
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The Star and ANA