‘Not opposing’: Reeva’s parents on Oscar Pistorius’s new parole bid

Reeva Steenkamp’s parents, June and Barry, have distanced themselves from Oscar Pistorius’s latest parole bid and have gone as far as not to oppose it officially.

The elderly couple – whose daughter was shot and killed by the former Paralympian a decade ago – revealed the news to The South African this week.

Pistorius has approached SA’s highest court – the Constitutional Court –  to question why his parole application was revoked earlier this year. He’s also claimed that his bid was “unfairly” overlooked and that his “fundamental rights” were “infringed.”

ALSO READ: ‘Tragic, honest mistake’: Oscar Pistorius’s brother supports parole bid

OSCAR PISTORIUS PAROLE BID: JUNE AND BARRY REMAIN MUM

Although the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has stated that Oscar Pistorius will only become eligible for parole in August 2024, the latter has strongly opposed this notion.

According to EWN, Knight has filed papers in the Constitutional Court, arguing that Pistorius’s time served before becoming eligible for parole was unfairly overlooked.

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) increased his six-year murder sentence following an unsuccessful appeal. Ahead of Pistorius’s parole hearing in March 2023, the SCA issued a clarification order antedating Oscar’s murder sentence to November 2017 – the date the court imposed his 13-year and five-month increased sentence – and did not consider time already spent in jail before this. The family is arguing that his prison sentence actually began in July 2016.

ALSO READ: Oscar Pistorius: Why has he approached the ConCourt for parole?

Pistorius said in court papers that the parole board was “clearly incorrect” and “untenable” and “leads to [his] incarceration without just cause.” He argued that this was essentially an “infringement of [his] … fundamental rights”.

When approached for comments, Reeva Steenkamp’s parents told The South African through their attorney Tania Koen: “We shall not be opposing.

They [June and Barry] are focusing on commemorating what would have been Reeva’s 40th birthday this weekend”.

While Reeva’s parents have not opposed the application, 702 states that the DCS will.

ALSO READ: ‘Hurt someone else’: Reeva Steenkamp’s mom slams Oscar Pistorius [watch]

Karyn Maughn added to the radio station: “It remains unclear at this point whether the National Prosecuting Authority, which was, of course, the entity that said the story of the six-year sentence was shockingly lenient, will seek to intervene up until this moment.”

REMEMBERING REEVA ON HER 40TH BIRTHDAY

19 August 2023 marks Reeva Steenkamp’s 40th birthday. The blonde model’s life was cut short a decade ago on Valentine’s Day after she was shot and killed by Oscar Pistorius, who allegedly mistook her for an intruder in his Pretoria mansion.

Ironically, the 29-year-old predicted her own death at just 14 years old, claimed her mother, June Steenkamp. In the lead-up to her death, the bubbly blonde also shared a series of haunting Instagram posts. 

ALSO READ: ‘This is wrong’: Oscar Pistorius’s siblings slam court’s ‘math errors’

Reeva’s last Instagram post was on 10 February 2013 – just four days before her death.

Referencing gender-based violence and the gruesome death of Cape Town woman Anene Booysen, she shared: “I woke up in a happy, safe home this morning. Not everyone did”.

Just a few days later, SA would wake up to the tragic news of Reeva’s death.