A prison review board has up to four months to decide
whether Oscar
Pistorius will be released into house arrest, a spokesman for South
Africa's justice ministry said.
Mthunzi Mhaga also said the department has not yet
had a response from Pistorius's lawyers to justice minister Michael Masutha's
decision to halt the release.
Mr Masutha put Pistorius's early release - scheduled
for Friday - on hold, saying it was approved too soon.
The justice ministry said it was approved eight
months into his five-year prison sentence, when the athlete should have served
10 months before being considered for release.
Pistorius was convicted last year of manslaughter for
killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in 2013.
Pistorius family spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess said
no decisions have been made yet by the family.
"The family will take their time to calmly
consider the way forward," she said.
News of the postponed release came to the Steenkamp
family as they held a beachside commemoration for Reeva Steenkamp on Wednesday,
what would have been her 32nd birthday, said Jacqui Mofokeng, a member of the
women's group who petitioned the justice minister to delay Pistorius's release.
"The mood changed," said Ms Mofokeng, who
was also part of a group of women who accompanied the Steenkamps during the
trial.
"They sent a number of messages to individuals
to say, 'Thank you very much. This is a better birthday than last year'."
The Paralympian was expected to be released on parole
following his conviction for killing Ms Steenkamp.
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