South African former Paralympic sensation Oscar Pistorius has been granted parole, nearly 11 years after he was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius’ infamous crime shocked a nation that had sadly become accustomed to violence against women.
Nicknamed “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, Pistorius fatally shot 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013. He maintained that he had mistaken her for an intruder when he fired four shots into the bathroom at his Pretoria residence. Multiple appeals against his conviction were launched on these grounds.
In a statement issued by the Steenkamp family lawyer on Friday, June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother, expressed her sentiments: “There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back.”
“We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence,” June Steenkamp added, stating her wish for peace after Pistorius’ release on parole.
Pistorius, now 37, spent approximately eight and a half years behind bars, with an additional seven months under house arrest before his murder sentence. In November, a parole board decided to release him after he had served more than half of his sentence.
The South African Department of Correctional Services confirmed Pistorius’ status as a “parolee, effective from January 5, 2024,” but did not specify his current location. A monitoring officer will oversee him until his sentence concludes in December 2029, and Pistorius must report job opportunities or address changes to the authorities.
As part of his parole conditions, Pistorius is required to continue anger management therapy and participate in gender-based violence sessions, as stipulated by the Steenkamp family.
While June Steenkamp sees these parole conditions as a testament to the seriousness with which gender-based violence is regarded by the South African justice system, a local women’s rights group, Women For Change, expressed concern over the lack of accountability for perpetrators and insufficient justice for victims of violence in the country.
Despite differing opinions on Pistorius’ punishment, some South Africans believe he has served his sentence and should be reintegrated into society. A Pretoria resident remarked, “Let the man go home, he’s done his time, and remember, it’s also about being reintegrated back into society.”
Local media anticipate that Pistorius will reside with his uncle Arnold in an affluent Pretoria suburb. A crowd of reporters gathered at the residence on Friday, awaiting his arrival. Pistorius’ lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
From once being a celebrated Paralympic athlete and advocate for disabled competitors, Pistorius’ life took a dramatic turn after the murder conviction. He had campaigned for the right to compete alongside able-bodied athletes and had even participated in the 2012 London Olympics, making it to the 400 metres semi-finals. He achieved two gold medals at the Paralympics.
Initially sentenced to five years in October 2014 for culpable homicide, a high court later found him guilty of murder in December 2015. Despite prosecutors advocating for a minimum 15-year sentence, he was ultimately sentenced to six years in July 2016. In November 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 13 years and five months, deeming the earlier term “shockingly lenient.”
In 2022, Pistorius engaged in a “victim-offender dialogue” with Barry Steenkamp, Reeva’s father. This dialogue is an integral part of South Africa’s restorative justice system, inspired partly by indigenous crime resolution methods practiced long before European colonization.
