By Canisius Mushibwe
Renowned South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is being considered for parole.
This comes after the athlete serving half of his jail sentence of the 13 and a half years handed to him as punishment in 2015.
However, the parole will only happen after the Steenkamps family meet with Pistorius.
Pistorius, a famous double-amputee Olympian, has been eligible for parole since July this year, following his court sentence.
The athlete was found guilty of shooting Steenkamp several times through a toilet door at his house on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
On Monday, the Legal representatives for both Pistorius and the deceased parents told journalists that a parole hearing scheduled for last month was cancelled partly because the two parties did not meet.
The date for a new hearing is still uncertain as it is yet to be set.
Barry and June Steenkamp, the parents of the victim, are requesting a face-to-face meeting with Pistorius before he is considered for release as it is their right under South Africa’s victim-offender dialogue policy.
It is believed that through the meeting, Reeva’s parents could challenge the Olympic runner to find out the reason behind killed their daughter.
The Steenkamp family lawyer Tania Koen said Reeva’s parents believe they are Reeva’s voice and owe it to her to find out why Pistorius pulled the trigger on their daughter.
Furthermore, the family of the deceased is given the right to make recommendations to the parole board. However, it is unknown if they will oppose the release of the sportsman.
Oscar Pistorius’s lawyer Julian Knight, 34, said his client could be taken from where he is currently incarcerated in Pretoria to the Steenkamps’ home city of Gqerberha, formerly known as Port For the victim-offender encounter.
This follows reports of Barry, Reeva’s father’s failure to travel due to health issues. Knight is ,however, hopeful that the meeting between the two parties Pistorius and the Steenkamp will take place before the year ends.
