Oscar Pistorius case investigation to go on till August, say prosecutors

The police investigation of the murder of Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius's model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp is set to go on until August, according to prosecutors.

Although Pistorius will make his court appearance on June 4, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) expects the proceedings on that date to be a 'mere postponement' ahead of another date in August, Sport24 reports.

Ahead of the double-amputee Olympian's first court appearance in nearly four months, the NPA however, stated that it was 'content' with the progress of the investigation, which would have taken nearly six months by the time the state was ready to proceed with the murder trial.

The NPA further stated that the final hearing would be presided over by a different magistrate from the bail application hearing.

The report further said that the investigators have been continuing to collect and scrutinise evidence and identify and interview possible witnesses to Pistorius's shooting of Steenkamp at his upscale home in Pretoria in the pre-dawn hours of February 14.

The report further said Pistorius, who has been finding ways to cope 'with his sense of isolation', according to a statement by his family, faces a life sentence in prison if found guilty.

There have been only two reported sightings of Pistorius in public since he was freed: an image of him on his carbon fiber blades walking on his practice running track and a visit to a Johannesburg restaurant, the report added.