Oscar Pistorius, the former Paralympic sprinter convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has reportedly found employment following his release from prison. Pistorius, 39, was sentenced to 13 years and five months for shooting Steenkamp four times through a locked bathroom door in 2013. His conviction for murder was established in 2015 after an appeal court overturned an earlier verdict of culpable homicide. He was released on parole in January 2024 and has returned to live in Waterkloof, Pretoria, the suburb where the fatal shooting occurred. Steenkamp was 29 at the time of her death.
Prior to his conviction, Pistorius achieved significant success in athletics, winning six Paralympic gold medals. He made history at the 2012 London Paralympic Games as the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic Games. However, his current employment is not within the sports world. According to local reports, he has taken a position at a sound engineering company, though the specific role remains undisclosed.
Pistorius is living with his uncle Arnold in a home that includes a swimming pool and a gym. He was released under strict parole conditions that will continue until his sentence concludes in 2029. These conditions require him to report to an official until his sentence expires and to inform the official of any job changes or address updates. A lawyer for the Steenkamp family confirmed that Pistorius must also continue anger management therapy and participate in gender-based violence sessions.
Pistorius has maintained that he mistakenly believed Steenkamp was an intruder, a defense he based on the prevalence of violent burglaries in South Africa. However, this claim did not sway the jury during his trial. Steenkamp, born in 1983, was a model from age 14, appearing in magazines and endorsing various brands. She also studied law and worked as a legal assistant, with aspirations of becoming an advocate. She began dating Pistorius in November 2012, and they were living together at his Pretoria home when she died in February 2013. Steenkamp's mother, June, reportedly did not object to Pistorius's parole, a factor that is believed to have influenced his release.