Reeva Steenkamp’s killer Oscar Pistorius denied parole

Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole, a decade after he shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

This after the parole board met on Friday to hear submissions from Pistorius and Steenkamp’s family.

The department of correctional services said on Friday afternoon that it had received the decision of the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) on the parole consideration from Pistorius.

“The CSPB granted inmate Pistorius a further profile for August 2024. The reason provided is that the inmate did not complete the minimum detention period as ruled by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) – as per the clarification provided on 28 March 2023.”

He was convicted in 2014 for the murder of Steenkamp.

Pistorius killed Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013, firing four times through the bathroom door of his Pretoria house.

Pistorius ‘not remorseful’

Pistorius and Steenkamp’s family met with the parole board on Friday, where they made representations on the matter.

Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp made her submissions opposing the parole, arguing he had not been remorseful for killing Reeva.

They also said they did not believe the ex-athlete told the truth about what happened.

“I don’t believe his story,” June told journalists from the back of a car as she arrived at the correctional facility. 

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She did not meet face to face with her daughter’s killer on Friday, as the parole board decided to hear the two separately, Steenkamp’s family lawyer Tania Koen said.

Steenkamp’s father Barry was unable to travel because of ill health but submitted a statement, she added.

“Before he dies he has one wish and that’s Oscar would just tell us exactly what happened that night,” Carmen Dodd, who read the statement to the board, told journalists.

According to correctional service spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, “the parole hearings are a platform where the victims are afforded an opportunity to make representations. It could be orally. They [Reeva’s parents] opted to come in person to provide that. The same courtesy has to be offered to the inmate, Oscar Pistorius.

“[The parole board] is an independent structure and once they make that decision, they will need to inform the relevant parties. As the department, we can only monitor the process and make sure that the support which is required is made available,” he told the media.

Comprising at least three people, including prison services and community members, the board is to determine whether the purpose of imprisonment has been served, according to the Department of Correctional Services.

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Additional reporting by AFP