Oscar Pistorius was jailed for Reeva Steenkamp’s murder, but her mum is still seeking justice
When the courts say justice is served, families caught in the middle often feel otherwise. The parents of murdered South African model Reeva Steenkamp explain what it would take to feel a sense of justice.
Reeva Steenkamp. Source: Getty / Gallo Images
By Monique Pueblos, 9 July 2023, SBS News
‘I don’t believe a word’: what it would take for June Steenkamp to feel justice has been served
Pistorius was first jailed in 2014 for killing his girlfriend and eventually sentenced to a total of 15 years imprisonment — the minimum sentence for murder in South Africa.
But even though Pistorius was charged with murder and remains in prison, June Steenkamp and her husband say they’re still searching for justice.
Though June thinks Pistorius won’t confess in their lifetime, she said hearing Pistorius tell the truth would be the best thing that could ever happen to her and her husband.
‘People’s needs are not met’
Former Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls said justice is the philosophical idea that people are treated fairly, and their rights are upheld.
“They can go to the justice system to have their needs met … in many cases, people’s needs are not met,” said Hulls, who is also director of the Centre for Innovative Justice at RMIT University in Melbourne.
“People seek to have their rights upheld and to have a wrong rectified, and that’s understandable.”
“Whether or not they actually had those needs met through the justice system is a different question,” Hulls said.
Seeking Justice — and what it looks like for different people
SBS Insight, 18 July 2023
Justice: How do we define it and why do we seek it? In this special two-part series, Insight speaks to those who are still fighting for justice and those who’ve been wrongfully convicted.
Watch Seeking Justice Part I here.
Watch Seeking Justice Part II here.
Our Director, Rob Hulls is featured from 31 mins, 15 seconds