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 Pistorius, 29, is expected to wear an electronic tracking tag when
he is released on Friday after serving 10 months of a five-year
sentence for killing his model and law graduate girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.
The release of Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated when he
was a baby, is in line with South African sentencing guidelines that
say non-dangerous prisoners should spend only one-sixth of a
custodial sentence behind bars.
Pistorius is due to serve the rest of his term in "custodial
supervision", a form of house arrest.
He will be mostly confined to the home of his uncle, Arnold, a
high-walled manor in the leafy suburb of Waterkloof that features
more than a dozen bedrooms, a private gym, outdoor swimming pool and
landscaped gardens.
The athlete, nicknamed 'Blade Runner' because of the carbon-fiber
prosthetics he used during his stellar career on the track, will
likely be allowed to leave the house to work, carry out community
service or to attend important family events.
In a country with one of the world's highest rates of violent crime
and where many still live in poverty, there is limited sympathy for
Pistorius.
"It's more like mansion arrest," said Christopher, 31, a security
guard who works on Arnold's road but lives in a basic two room flat
in a rundown suburb of Johannesburg.
Steenkamp's parents did not respond to requests for comment. They
said at the time of Pistorius' sentencing that spending 10 months in
prison "for taking a life is simply not enough" and it would send
out the wrong message to society.
Experts who deal with former prisoners say the public is often
unaware of how tough life can be.
APPEAL FOR MURDER
"Many people don't understand the very serious impact prison can
have on your life and the challenges afterwards, no matter where you
live," said Jacques Sibomana, spokesman for NICRO, an organization
helping to re-integrate offenders.
"The social stigma Oscar will face could be very psychologically
traumatic. The punishment lives with you."
Pistorius' time in Waterkloof could be short-lived if state
prosecutors succeed in overturning the verdict. Details of their
case were due to be submitted to the Supreme Court of Appeal in
Bloemfontein on Monday.
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Pistorius has admitted killing Steenkamp, 29, by firing four shots
into the locked door of a toilet cubicle in what he said was the
mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said during sentencing that the state had
failed to convince her of Pistorius' intent to kill when he fired.
Prosecutors want the verdict of culpable homicide, equivalent to
manslaughter, raised to murder because they argue Pistorius must
have known when he fired that the person behind the door could be
killed. Many legal experts agree.
"Given he fired four shots through a door when he knew someone was
inside, I think there is a good chance the appeal will be
successful," William Booth, a lawyer who has followed the trial
closely, told Reuters.
If convicted of murder, Pistorius will likely be given a custodial
sentence of at least 15 years. The appeal hearing is due to start in
November.
Pistorius was once considered one of the ultimate symbols of triumph
over adversity, fighting authorities to become the first amputee to
compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympics.
Though he could return to training, Pistorius is unlikely to ever
compete at the highest level again given his age and lack of
intensive training since Steenkamp's death, experts say.
(Additional reporting by Lynette Ndabambi; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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