[imagesource: Herman Verwey—Pool / Getty Images]

It wasn’t all that long ago that Oscar Pistorius was declared eligible for parole in March 2023, having served half of his sentence for killing Reeva Steenkamp.

The Department of Correctional Services had stuck to that date, but now the Supreme Court of Appeal has corrected its ruling on his sentence.

News24 reports that the Appeal Court’s ruling “effectively pushed that date forward by 10 months, to July this year”.

Pistorius’ parole hearing was originally scheduled to take place on October 27 and October 29. Tania Koen, an attorney acting on behalf of June and Barry Steenkamp, Reeva’s parents, said the news came out the blue:

…Koen said the Steenkamps were “shocked” when correctional services staff cancelled their appointment with the couple at the last minute.

“They have always maintained that the law must take its course and that remains their position. If he [Pistorius] is eligible for parole, then that process needs to be conducted in the correct manner,” she said.

Asked if the Steenkamps were prepared to engage in a so-called “victim offender dialogue” with Pistorius – a process that precedes a parole hearing – Koen responded: “Yes, they are.”

The “victim offender dialogue” (VOD) would entail a meeting between the Steenkamp family and Pistorius, with Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo confirming that June and Barry have been engaged on the matter.

Via IOL, Nxumalo also denied that the process hadn’t been handled with the appropriate sensitivity:

“It was necessary that the Steenkamp family be approached and this was done with utmost care as the victims must be prepared before they participate in the VOD.

“This is done by our specialists (social workers, psychologists and spiritual care-givers) in order to ensure that appropriate care is afforded as this can be a sensitive, emotional and inconsolable engagement.”

He did admit that there were some “logistical difficulties” in terms of organising a meeting, with Pistorius serving his time in Gauteng and the Steenkamps living some distance away.

Julian Knight, an attorney representing Pistorius, said his client was “very willing” to meet with the Steenkamps:

“But he is also aware that there are profound sensitivities involved. He respects that, as such, the department of correctional services is best placed to facilitate engagements between himself and the Steenkamps.”

Pistorius’ immediate release isn’t likely, given that the parole board has multiple reports to consider before that can happen.

Only once all of those boxes have been ticked, and the VOD taken care of, will an inmate’s parole application be properly considered.

Here’s Koen’s interview with SABC News, where she goes into greater detail regarding the process:

[sources:news24&iol]