[imagesource: Themba Hadebe / AP Photo]

In November last year, news broke that Oscar Pistorius was eligible for parole.

It appeared that his time behind bars was drawing to a close, pending a so-called “victim offender dialogue” where he meets with June and Barry Steenkamp.

Pistorius’ lawyers have claimed that the Steenkamps are deliberately slowing the process down, despite the disgraced athlete’s “squeaky clean prison record and [him meeting] all the requirements for parole”.

Turns out they have bigger worries than the Steenkamps, with prison authorities now arguing that Pistorius is actually not eligible for release.

Reporting below via News24:

Pistorius, 35, has accused parole authorities at the Atteridgeville prison – where he has served the bulk of his sentence for the February 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp – of failing to comply with the parole process requirements set out in the Correctional Services Act and infringing “my right to procedurally fair administrative action”…

Pistorius wants the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to order that the chairperson of the parole board at Atteridgeville correctional facility “convene a parole hearing” for him “within 30 days following the granting of this order”.

Given the state of our prisons, courts, and legal system, it’s no surprise that confusion reigns supreme.

Jacob Zuma, Schabir Shaik – it’s enough to erode one’s confidence.

While the Department of Correctional Services had previously confirmed Pistorius’ eligibility, Atteridgeville parole authorities disagree.

The multiple appeals and different orders issued by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in relation to Pistorius’s murder conviction and sentence – and when exactly his sentence came into effect – appear to be at the heart of their unwillingness to conduct the hearing.

Vice-chairperson of the case management committee at Atteridgeville prison, Tebogo Moloto, has gone on the record to dispute the validity of the SCA order.

At this stage, there is no clear path forward or agreed-upon parole date. A spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services said officials are “seeking a clarification on the minimum detention period”.

The legalese around this is very convoluted – News24 subscribers can go in-depth here.

The Steenkamps, who have not publicly commented on the latest developments, are front and centre in the new three-part docuseries, My Name is Reeva.

Episode two airs tonight on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 8:30PM.

[sources:news24&news24]