South African athlete Oscar Pistorius will be released on parole on 21 August after serving ten months of a five-year sentence for culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, authorities have said.

The Olympic and Paralympic athlete was convicted in October after a seven-month trial.

The release of Pistorius had been largely expected under South African sentencing guidelines that say non-dangerous prisoners should spend only one-sixth of a custodial sentence behind bars.

A prison service statement said Pistorius would spend the remainder of his time under "correctional supervision", a form of house arrest.

Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model, died on Valentine's Day in 2013 when Pistorius shot her through a locked toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home.

Prosecutors had pushed for a murder conviction, but the athlete maintained he fired in the mistaken belief an intruder was hiding behind the door.

The state won its bid to appeal the culpable homicide conviction and will seek a murder conviction when the case is heard in November.

Pistorius could face a prison sentence of at least 15 years if convicted of murder.