South Africa Suspends Pistorius Release

South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, serving a five-year prison term for killing his girlfriend, may not walk free as expected this week because the decision to release him was "premature", the justice ministry says.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha said in a statement on Wednesday that a June decision to release him on Friday after he had served just one-sixth of his sentence had "no legal basis" and would be suspended pending a parole board review.

"It is apparent that the decision to release him on 21 August 2015 was made prematurely on 5 June 2015, when the offender was not eligible to be considered at all," the statement said.

The decision to free the 28-year-old had angered the family of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was killed by Pistorius on Valentine's Day in 2013.