Oscar Pistorius interview to air in SA on Friday

The United Kingdom based ITV was the only television broadcaster to get access to the fallen 29-year-old athletics star since his trial and conviction of murder.

Pistorius fatally shot his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a closed toilet door on Valentine's Day in 2013. He still maintains that the shooting was a mistake. Pistorius told the court during his trial that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. She was 29 years old when she died.

The double amputee was initially convicted of culpable homicide, but that was overturned to murder on appeal. Pistorius, who is under house arrest as stipulated under his sentence for culpable homicide, will be re-sentenced for murder on 6 July 2016.

A Carte Blanche special, featuring the ITV Pistorius interview as well as a panel discussion thereafter, will premiere on M-Net and M-Net City on Friday at 10.55pm, with SuperSport repeats from Saturday through to next Thursday.

"Oscar Pistorius: The Interview" is the former Paralympic athlete's first television interview since the tragic event.

The interview will show the athlete meeting ITV's award-winning UK investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas at his uncle Arnold Pistorius' home in Pretoria, where he has been under house arrest, awaiting sentencing after South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's original verdict of culpable homicide to murder.

A week ago, while testifying during sentencing proceedings, Steenkamp's cousin, Kim Martin told the North Gauteng High Court that all the family ever wanted was the truth.

When asked about Pistorius's interview with a foreign broadcaster, she said she couldn't understand why he had agreed to it.

"I'm not happy about that at all. I think it's unfair to talk to the world about your version when you had the opportunity in court to do so."

During mitigation of sentence earlier in June, psychologist Jonathan Scholtz said the former athlete could not testify because he was suffering from severe depression and anxiety. Scholtz said if he was treating Pistorius he would have had him admitted to hospital because he was very ill.

In a statement, Arnold Pistorius said: "Not knowing what the future holds for Oscar … I decided it was necessary to take up one media offer that would provide our family with a voice to address some of the misconceptions that have remained unchallenged. I wish to make it very clear that this engagement with ITV was my decision, and not Oscar's initiative." - ANA