Oscar Pistorius, the South African paralympic track star who was convicted last year of killing his girlfriend, will be released from prison this week to spend the rest of his sentence under house arrest in a family mansion. 

Pistorius is set to be released from prison on Friday to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest in his uncle's mansion ... nestled in a leafy Pretoria suburb and said to have over a dozen bedrooms.

That's because South Africa's sentencing guidelines say non-violent offenders should spend just one-sixth of their sentence behind bars.

Pistorius will wear a tracking bracelet. He'll be allowed to leave the manor to work, do community service, or attend important family events, but mainly he'll be confined indoors, under house arrest.

Still, in a country riddled with high crime rates and deep poverty, there's little sympathy for Pistorius who -- come Friday -- exchanges the cold walls of his prison for the high walls of a gated manor.