for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
He was driven to Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison where he is expected
to be housed in the hospital wing.
Judge Thokozile Masipa gave Pistorius a five-year jail sentence for
culpable homicide, but cleared him of murder.
His defence said it expected him to serve about 10 months, with the
remainder under house arrest. His family say he will not appeal.
The parents of Reeva Steenkamp told the BBC they were happy with the
sentence and relieved the case was over.
Prosecutors had called for a minimum 10-year term, and the defence had
argued for community service and house arrest.
Pistorius, 27, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to
compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, killed Ms Steenkamp on
Valentine's Day last year.
He says he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in his
house in Pretoria.
Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate,
was hit three times by bullets fired by Pistorius through a toilet
door.
Before he went down the stairs and out of court, Oscar Pistorius
slipped off his expensive watch and handed it to a relative. It seems
the athlete probably knew his sentence beforehand, which helps
explains the subdued atmosphere in court today.
This case has revealed plenty about South Africa - its gun culture,
the strengths and inadequacies of its police and prisons. But above
all it has been a simple story, about the rise and fall of a global
icon.
As the crowds and cameras drift away from the courthouse, what lingers
is the sense of waste. Of lives and careers for sure. But of time too.
A man and a woman went into a bathroom. Only one came out alive. As
the judge made clear - the trial should have been over in a matter of
weeks. Instead it turned into a tortuous, overwrought epic.
Relief as justice is served
'Already accommodated'
Pistorius showed little reaction to the sentence other than to wipe
his eyes before being led away to a holding cell downstairs.
He was then driven away from court in an armoured police van to
Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison, where he was expected to undergo a
medical assessment.
It is likely that he will be held in a one-man cell in the hospital
wing, thought to be most appropriate for the athlete's disability.
Correctional services spokesman Manelisi Wolela told AFP news agency
Pistorius was "already accommodated at Kgosi Mampuru".
He could be released after serving a sixth of his sentence, or 10
months, for good behaviour.
However, Dup De Bruyn, a lawyer for the Steenkamp family, told Reuters
that he believed Pistorius would probably serve two years.
Pistorius's uncle, Arnold, said the family would not appeal against
the sentence.
"We accept the judgment. Oscar will embrace the opportunity to pay
back to society," he said.
He appealed to the media to "accept the ruling of court and let us
move forward in this process and give us some degree of dignity and
privacy".
The BBC's Nomsa Maseko, outside court, says opinion there was divided
on the sentence, with some saying it was too light, others that it was
fair.
Judge Masipa said she considered her sentence "fair and just, both to
society and to the accused".
She said: "A non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message to
the community. On the other hand, a long sentence would also not be
appropriate either, as it would lack the element of mercy."
She said Pistorius had made an "enormous contribution to society", in
his charity work and in changing the public perception of disability.
But she added: "It would be a sad day for this country if an
impression were to be created that there was one law for the poor and
disadvantaged, and another for the rich and famous."
--BBC
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