Staff Reporter
The forthcoming release of convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius on parole has drawn criticism from the Women for Change Organisation, who argue that it sends the wrong message to society.
The Department of Correctional Services has confirmed the decision made by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board last month to grant parole to Pistorius, who was found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Following his release, Pistorius will be subject to monitoring for an additional five years. However, the Women for Change Organisation’s spokesperson, Bulelwa Adonis, believes that the parole decision reflects a lack of accountability in addressing gender-based violence in the country.
Adonis expressed concern about the message being conveyed to potential perpetrators of femicide, stating, “What are we telling society? What message is being conveyed? What exactly are we telling everybody else who could possibly have the desire to commit femicide? We’re saying, you know what, it’s okay, you won’t serve your full sentence. So, despite the restrictions, I think it’s important that accountability is a thing in our country, which as an organization, we feel like we really lack greatly in accountability.”
In 2022, Pistorius engaged in a victim-offender dialogue with Reeva Steenkamp’s father, Barry, as part of South Africa’s restorative justice program aimed at achieving closure. However, few details about the meeting were made public, and Steenkamp’s father passed away in 2023.
Steenkamp’s mother, June, expressed skepticism regarding Pistorius’ rehabilitation in a statement before the parole hearing, stating that she was not convinced. However, she added that she had forgiven him a long time ago, as clinging to anger would have been detrimental to her own well-being.
