Chronicle Editor
Former Paralympian and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius has found a new purpose behind bars, leading a Bible studies and prayer group and harvesting vegetables, his father Henke has told The Times UK.
Pistorius was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on February 14, 2013.
He was sentenced in July 2016 to six years in prison for murder, even though the prosecution had called for a minimum prison sentence for murder, which is 15 years behind bars.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein increased his sentence to 13 years in November 2017.
This takes into account the time he had already served behind bars.
This December marked the second Christmas that Pistorius has spent behind bars. He still has to serve another five years before he is eligible for parole in 2023.
According to his father, Pistorius is doing well in prison and has been in a better place since his conviction.
Pistorius’ father said his son was having a positive spiritual impact on his fellow inmates, and that he also had his own garden inside the prison.
In the meantime, he was set on serving other inmates, providing them with good Christian knowledge, and offering hope to those who need it, his father said.
Henke Pistorius told The Times UK that Oscar “is making a difference to others who really needed a difference to be made”.
“As a result, things have also improved for him.”
Earlier this year, in April, the Constitutional Court dismissed Pistorius’ leave to appeal his 13-year sentence, which was welcomed by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). – Sapa
derick.khumalo