Closing arguments will be heard in the Pretoria court on August 7 and 8.

The prosecution will file its "heads of argument" on July 30, and the defence on August 4, the court heard.

Closing the case for the defence, lawyer Barry Roux said a number of witnesses had refused to give evidence because they did not want "their voices heard around the world".

The trial is the first in South African history to be televised - something Pistorius' lawyers argued against.

The 27-year-old athlete denies deliberately killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year.

Pistorius says he fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his Pretoria home because he thought there were intruders.

Three of those bullets struck the 29-year-old model and law graduate, killing her.

Prosecutors allege he killed her after an argument.

Oscar Pistorius could face life in prison if he is found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year ©AFP/Getty Images



The Paralympic athlete could face between 25 years and life in prison if he is found guilty of murder.

If he is acquitted of murder, the court will consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide.

He could be jailed for around 15 years if convicted of that charge.

The murder trial, which has generated worldwide attention, began on March 3.

If was adjourned for a month for Pistorius to undergo a mental health evaluation, only resuming on June 30.

The evaluation found the athlete was not mentally ill at the time he shot Steenkamp dead.

There are no juries at trials in South Africa, so Pistorius' guilt or innocence will be decided by judge Thokozile Masipa, who is being assisted by two assessors.