'He must pay': Reeva Steenkamp family's blunt Oscar Pistorius message
Oscar Pistorius has been given a brutal reality check by the parents of Reeva Steenkamp as he seeks to be granted parole after serving half his sentence for her murder.
The South African athlete shot dead his model girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013 when he fired four times through the door of their bedroom toilet.
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Pistorius was found guilty of manslaughter in 2014 and sentenced to six years, but the conviction was later upgraded to murder, with a 13-year term.
By July this year, the 34-year-old had served half the term, the minimum period to be considered for parole, according to the victim's family lawyer.
The Correctional Services department was due to hold preliminary talks with Steenkamp's parents, but the meeting was postponed and has yet to be rescheduled.
Before the parole process can begin, the department needs to conduct a dialogue with the victim's family and the offender.
However, Steenkamp's parents June and Barry have made it abundantly clear they don't want the man known as the 'Blade Runner' to be granted an early release from prison.
“He’s shown no remorse and he would only show remorse I think if it contributes to his getting out of jail,” June said in an interview with English breakfast TV show, Good Morning Britain.
“We haven’t had the full story. I don’t believe that it’s the truth, he changed his mind three times under oath to a different story and we don’t believe that’s the truth of the story.
“That’s what we want, the truth. This has been a horror story for us.”
"He must serve whatever his full time, in my eyes, he still must pay for what he’s done. And that’s what we’re expecting.
“Sorry is not enough in any case. It’s not enough for losing her life, her future was ahead of her. Now she has no wedding, we have no grandchildren and she never would have her wedding dress.
“She had nothing. He took everything away from her and us and that is something that is important to me, the things that she would never have had.
“I forgave him through God because I believe in God. I’m a Christian and I had to. God was asked to forgive him, but it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t got to pay for what he’s done. He showed no remorse, and we don’t believe the story.
“We don’t believe the story that he gave. We don’t know how it came to that. We want the truth.”
The Steenkamp's lawyer Tania Koen said the parole board had been due to discuss his parole on October 27 or 29.
"But because certain requirements were not met, they have stopped the process and they will have to make sure they have the necessary reports," including talks with the victim's family, the offender and supply of psychologist and social worker reports, she said.
"He has been eligible for parole since July of this year," Koen added, "but that does not mean he has automatic right to be released on parole."
Oscar Pistorius trial was watched around the world
The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double-amputee to race at the Olympics when he took part In the London 2012 Games.
He competed on prosthetic blades — a feat that had earned him the nickname Blade Runner.
Pistorius became a role model for disabled people worldwide until his televised murder trial, which fixated South Africans and generated international headlines.
He has always maintained that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four high-calibre bullets through a locked toilet cubicle.
Koen said the reaction of Reeva's parents was one of shock when they were first contacted by the prisons services.
"But over that shock, they were distraught, especially after the department cancelled the meeting. That was a double blow," said Koen. "It opens the wound."
with agencies
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