Oscar Pistorius faces death threats from underworl...

Oscar Pistorius faces death threats from underworld

Disgraced former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius’ life could be at risk when he is released from prison on Friday, 5 January.

The South African double-amputee was granted parole in November last year, almost 11 years after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

Oscar Pistorius warned about the underworld

According to Fox Ditigal, police said that the 37-year-old former athlete’s name is being circulated among Johannesburg’s underworld and contract killers.

Police in the city say they have received information that Pistorius will “become a target for gangsters out to avenge the slaying of a young woman.”

Once released, the former athlete will stay in a cottage, or the three-story mansion, in a compound belonging to his uncle, Arnold, which is located in Pretoria. The compound has armed guards, electronic defences and reportedly several “attack dogs.” He will be given 24-hour police protection.

Feud with Marc Batchelor

In February 2023, Mail Online reported that Pistorius had already come on to the radar of Johannesburg’s underworld for threatening one of the city’s notorious hardmen and former professional footballer Marc Batchelor. The Olympic athlete had 10 firearms including an AK-47.

Batchelor, who was gunned down in 2019, had previously gotten into a fight with Pistorius before the medalist was jailed for murdering Steenkamp.

The former Kaizer Chiefs footballer, who was also friends with Steenkamp, claimed Pistorius threatened to break his legs after believing he had slept with his girlfriend at the time, Samantha Taylor. Although Batchelor was killed in what police believe was an organised hit, the murder has not been connected to Pistorius. – The South African