“Pretoria Residents React to News of Oscar Pistorius’s Release from Jail in South Africa”

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"Pretoria Residents React to News of Oscar Pistorius's Release from Jail in South Africa"

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EN FRANCAIS!

In Pretoria, the South African capital, residents offered mixed reactions on Friday to the news of former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius’s release from prison on parole earlier in the day.

Pistorius, who served nearly nine years for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, was reportedly at his uncle’s mansion after authorities discreetly transferred him at an undisclosed time to avoid media attention at the jail.

Residents of Pretoria, where Pistorius will reside during his parole, expressed differing views on his release, with some feeling that the renowned double-amputee athlete had served his time for the crime.

“Oscar’s parole isn’t a bad thing. Nobody is perfect. He made a mistake, served his time, and I think it’s time for him to return to the community,” said local resident Thapelo Rakhoale.

“I hope to see him back on the track one day, running again and being one of my favorites. I know he caused someone’s death, but we don’t know his intentions,” added another resident.

The South African Department of Corrections announced Pistorius’s release in a brief statement around 8:30 a.m., confirming his status as a parolee but providing no further details.

Pistorius, aged 37, served almost nine years of his 13-year and five-month sentence for the fatal shooting of model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.

Eligible for early release after serving at least half his sentence, Pistorius was granted parole in November.

Department of Corrections spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said that Pistorius was processed in accordance with protocol: transferred from the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in Pretoria to a parole office before being released to his family. Nxumalo declined to disclose the time and location of Pistorius’s release.

Pistorius will be subject to strict parole conditions until the completion of his sentence in December 2029.