Rarely has a sporting hero fallen so brutally from his pedestal. Oscar Pistorius (37) stunned the world by running in the Olympic Games without legs, but lost all luster after the murder of his girlfriend. Today – eleven years after the events – the South African is released early. Although in the case of Pistorius this is very relative.
Iconic. Extraordinary. Inspiring.
For years, every witness has been short of superlatives for Oscar Pistorius’ life story.
At the beginning of this century, the South African became a global model thanks to his revolutionary sporting achievements, despite the loss of two legs due to a genetic defect.
His participation as a Paralympian in the ‘regular’ Olympics in 2012 was historic. Pistorius reached the semi-finals of the 400 meters in London wearing artificial prostheses.
In their home country of South Africa, they almost put the phenomenon on par with Nobel Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
Thanks to his enormous popularity, Pistorius is doing great business financially thanks to deals with global brands such as Nike. And even in the family everything seems perfect when the athlete finds love with the famous model Reeva Steenkamp.
On Valentine’s Day 2013, the fairytale story takes a tragic turn.
Pistorius kills his 29-year-old girlfriend Reeva in her Pretoria home by shooting a gun four times through the closed bathroom door. According to the shooter it was a fatal accident, because Pistorius claims to have thought there was a thief in the house.
But according to the Prosecutor’s Office – and almost all public opinion – the reason would have been a heated argument between the spouses and Pistorius would have shot his girlfriend in a fit of rage.
The case fascinates the whole of South Africa and the rest of the world is also shocked by the tragedy.
During the “trial of the century” – broadcast live on national television, for the first time – the judge first sentences Pistorius to 5 years in prison for manslaughter. The Supreme Court later converted it to murder and increased the prison sentence to 13 years and 5 months.
With tears in his eyes, the culprit disappears behind the lock and key.
Collective indignation
Today, almost 11 years after the events, Pistorius is released early (much to the anger of many).
The South African legal system allows prisoners to be released after half their sentence if they behave well and there is a low probability of reoffending. Even with serious facts, as in the case of Pistorius.
In recent weeks several newspapers have reported on the behavior of the former sprinter during his stay within the prison walls. The Times understands that Pistorius spent his time learning all about investing, immersed himself in the Bible, coached others in powerlifting and worked as a farmer and cleaner.
Apart from an argument with a cellmate on the phone, Pistorius reportedly never made any negative comments.
According to The Telegraph, life behind bars has undeniably affected the South African. The once-trained star athlete is said to now weigh several kilos, have a beard and gray hair and is addicted to cigarettes.
The paparazzi are already in crowds for the first photo.
Oscar Pistorius had to show during the trial how he walked without prosthetics.
Pistorius’ impending release is causing an unprecedented wave of collective outrage in South Africa, but also beyond.
Just nine years in prison for the murder of a defenseless woman…
It’s another hard slap in the face, especially for the family and friends of the late Steenkamp. They regret that Pistorius continues to stick to his version of events.
In an attempt to find peace of mind, Steenkamp’s father visited Pistorius in prison a few years ago, but he consistently denied deliberately killing Reeva. “He gave me his truth, not mine,” said Barry Steenkamp, who has since died.
Mother June now does not oppose Pistorius’ release, but wonders aloud in a letter whether Pistorius’ “massive anger issues” have disappeared. She also says that she “is concerned about the safety of any woman who may come into contact with him in the future.”
Meanwhile, the authorities go out of their way to point out that Pistorius’ conditional release does not equate to freedom at all.
The Olympian will be under strict supervision until his sentence expires in December 2029. He will also have to undergo anger management therapy and sessions on violence against women. Consuming alcohol and speaking to the media is strictly prohibited.
Danger lurking
In any case, not that Pistorius will knowingly seek the spotlight any time soon: the man is being savagely hunted in South Africa.
According to insiders, Blade Runner was already filming inside the prison with a target on his back from several notorious gangs, but outside of it it will be no different.
On the contrary.
“There’s no doubt that some people want Oscar’s scalp,” said Mark Williams-Thomas, a journalist and friend of Pistorius.
A former teacher who visited Pistorius in prison several times revealed that the South African himself is aware of the lurking danger. “He’s afraid of being attacked when he goes to the store or the bar,” the acquaintance noted.
This fear of revenge does not appear suddenly.
Surprisingly, underworld figures had already appeared in the courtroom during the murder trial. Hitman Mikey Schultz, among others, made it clear without words that Pistorius would be better off sleeping with one eye open.
Many link the threat to Reeva’s late father, Barry, who was active all his life in the horse business, an industry with lots of money and therefore inevitably shady figures.
An anonymous acquaintance told the Sun: “Barry has made a lot of friends and not all of them are lovers. After the murder of his daughter, all he wanted was an admission of guilt. Now that Pistorius returns to the real world, can anyone ‘ convince him to tell the truth.” narrate.”
The South African Probation Service will therefore logically not provide any details on Pistorius’ release. “We need to carefully manage risk,” they realize.
Despite the great sensitivity of the entire dossier, the future “hidden address” has already been leaked to the press.
Pistorius was reportedly given accommodation (and a job) by his wealthy uncle Arnold, a successful businessman who lives in a safe diplomatic district near Pretoria. The public enemy had already been there previously awaiting trial.
The villa is surrounded by large walls with barbed wire and has received increasing security upgrades in recent months as Pistorius’ release approaches.
TV crews await his arrival en masse on the sidewalk, and no doubt the sensational newspapers have already recruited a few “spotters” in the area. And the Reuters news agency even launched it last night a live stream from prison who will soon leave the fallen hero.
Pistorius is free again, but at what price?
An archive image of a TV crew at Uncle Arnold’s mansion, where Pistorius is said to be staying.
2024-01-05 04:00:00
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