By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The parents of the late Reeva Steenkamp are set to oppose the granting of parole to former Paralympian runner Oscar Pistorius application for parole.
The disgraced Paralympian’s parole hearing will take place on Friday, at the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre.
A parole board will decide whether Pistorius should be released early from prison after he served half of his 13 years and five months sentence for shooting dead his then-girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Offenders in South Africa meet the minimum requirements for parole after serving half of their sentence.
Pistorius killed the model after he fired four times through the bathroom door of his Silver Lakes, east of Pretoria, home.
The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to murder and has constantly maintained he thought Reeva was an intruder.
He was initially sentenced to culpable homicide in 2014 by North Gauteng High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa, but that conviction was later overturned by an appeals court to murder.
Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Reeva’s mother will be given an opportunity to read a victim impact statement before the parole board.
Reeva’s father, Barry, will not be present at the parole hearing as he is understood to be unwell to travel.
The Steenkamp family believes that Pistorius has not been honest about what really happened on the day their daughter was killed.
Lawyer Tania Koen said ahead of a scheduled parole hearing for Pistorius that “unless he comes clean, they don’t feel that he is rehabilitated”.
Koen said Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp, would submit written and oral statements at today’s hearing opposing Pistorius’ application to be released from prison.
“She doesn’t feel that he must be released,” Koen told reporters outside the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria, where Pistorius has been held since 2016 and where his parole hearing is expected to take place.
Their victim impact statement is likely to detail the impact Reeva’s murder has had on the family a decade since she was killed.
Pistorius will also be given a chance to make representations to the parole board on why he believes he should be let out early.
Release on parole usually comes with some conditions, such as monitoring from correctional services authorities and the duty to report to a community correction centre.
Should Pistorius be granted parole, he could face restrictions on alcohol, his ability to own firearms and be required to undergo counselling.