Family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess released a media statement on Tuesday in which she said the family have now been officially informed about the decision by the parole review board to refer the matter regarding his release on correctional supervision back to the parole board.
The review board, which convened on Monday to consider Pistorius and other inmates’ release on parole, referred his matter back to the parole board for reconsideration.
According to Correctional Services Department, the board also referred the placement of eight other inmates who were due to be released under correctional supervision, back to the parole board.
The department said this was mainly done because the decision to release them was had been made prematurely.
The review board also directed that Pistorius be subjected to psychotherapy.
Burgess said: “We would like to emphasise that Oscar has been receiving regular and ongoing psychotherapy from not only his own psychologist, but also from a prison psychologist and a social worker whose reports formed part of the parole decision process.”
She said the family had put their trust in the correctional system, but they were disconcerted by the constant delays in obtaining clarity regarding his release.
“We are concerned not only about the legality of the parole board’s decision, but also about the fairness towards Oscar and the many others whose constitutional rights are being affected by the ongoing confusion around the timing of parole decisions.”
Burgess said when Justice Minister Michael Masutha announced that said the matter regarding Pistorius’s release had to be referred back for reconsideration, he made it clear that it was simply a procedural matter based on his interpretation of the Correctional Services Act.
The minister objected that the decision to release Pistorius on August 21, was taken in June this year before he had served 10 months of his five-year jail term for culpable homicide.
“Time has now cured this procedural issue and we cannot understand why the review board failed to reconsider the matter as it is empowered to do so.”
The family also expressed their concern that the public, political and media hype around Pistorius had undermined his right to be treated like any other prisoner.
Correctional Services said the parole board would convene in “due course” to look into the possible release of Pistorius and the other inmates.
It said that about 109 similar cases were identified nationally which will need reconsideration.
Pistorius’s lawyer, Brian Webber, said they were considering their legal options.
