Former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius is scheduled to be released on parole nearly 11 years after being convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
In 2013, Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp multiple times through a bathroom door, claiming he mistook her for a burglar.
Following a 2016 sentencing of 13 years in prison by a South African court, the parole board has set his release for January 5, 2024.
Steenkamp’s mother, while not opposing bail, expressed concerns about Pistorius’s unresolved “anger issues” in a letter to the parole board. She indicated potential worries for the safety of any woman in contact with him.
June Steenkamp, choosing not to attend the recent parole hearing at Atteridgeville prison, cited her inability to face Pistorius again due to immense strain, compounded by the passing of her husband earlier that year.
In her statement, Mrs. Steenkamp expressed her husband’s devastation, hoping that Pistorius would eventually disclose the full truth.
This recent parole hearing was Pistorius’s second attempt in less than a year. His initial bid in March was rejected for not meeting the minimum detention period, a decision later deemed a mistake by South Africa’s Constitutional Court, leading to the latest hearing.
