Former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius will be released from prison on parole, almost 11 years after he murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius, now 37, was sentenced by a South African court in 2016 to 13 years and five months in prison. According to his version, on February 14, he shot several times at the bathroom door of his house in Pretoria, thinking that a burglar was in there.

Reeva Steenkamp was 29 when she lost her life.

Citing the Department of Correctional Services, the BBC reports that Pistorius will be monitored by the authorities until his sentence officially expires. He will also have to attend therapy sessions, according to the Steenkamp family spokesman.

In a letter read to the parole board during Friday's hearing, Steenkamp's mother said she was not opposed to his release, but questioned whether Pistorius' "enormous anger issues" would actually be dealt with in prison. She added that she would be "concerned for the safety of any woman" who came into contact with him now.

June Steenkamp chose not to attend the parole hearing at Atteridgeville prison near Pretoria, saying: "I simply can't muster the energy to face him again at this stage."