Reeva Steenkamp’s Family Remembers Her Birthday, Oscar Pistorius Denied Early Release From Prison

Reeva Steenkamp’s family held a solemn tribute for her birthday, August 19. Her family paid tribute to her by visiting her favorite childhood place and sending off flowers into the ocean. She would ...
Reeva Steenkamp’s Family Remembers Her Birthday, Oscar Pistorius Denied Early Release From Prison
Written by Val Powell
  • Reeva Steenkamp’s family held a solemn tribute for her birthday, August 19. Her family paid tribute to her by visiting her favorite childhood place and sending off flowers into the ocean. She would have turned 32 this month.

    Her relatives gathered to join her parents in the simple commemoration they held for her. Steenkamp’s ashes were scattered on Summerstrand beach.

    The South African model and TV personality died after her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, shot her dead on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Pistorius said he thought he fired at a burglar who was hiding in his toilet cubicle.

    He was expected to be freed on parole on Friday but his scheduled release has been denied by the South African government. Had things gone as expected, the double amputee sprint runner would have been released from prison under “house arrest.”

    Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide after admitting he killed girlfriend, Reeva Stenkamp. According to Justice Minister Michael Masutha, the parole board’s decision to release Pistorius before the athlete completed his sentence has no “legal basis.”

    “It is therefore clear that there is no legal basis upon which such a decision was made … one sixth of a five years sentence is 10 months and at the time the decision was made Mr Pistorius had served only over six months of his sentence,” Masutha explained.

    Masutha said he received a petition from the Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa, stating their opposition to the athlete’s early release on parole.

    The Women’s Rights Organization believes that the decision to release Pistorius earlier than what the Law commands was “not sound in law.”

    It is still not clear as to when Pistorius will be released, but the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board is studying the case to come up with the best decision for the parties involved.

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