Pretoria - It has been reported in international media that Oscar Pistorius recently told his former head teacher Bill Schroder that all he wanted was the forgiveness of the Steenkamp family for killing their daughter Reeva.
But his father Henke Pistorius said his son had from the start begged for forgiveness.
According to the UK's Sun on Sunday, Pistorius told Schroder during a recent prison visit that he desperately wanted to tell Barry and June Steenkamp how sorry he was.
Asked by the Pretoria News whether he knew about this wish, as stated in the international media, Pistorius sr said he had only heard about it.
“Oscar has already, from the start, and over and over, asked for forgiveness. He told the first witness who came on the scene how sorry he was. He asked everyone’s forgiveness and said he would work for the Lord for the rest of his life if Reeva’s life could be spared.”
Henke said he had not seen his son recently in the jail in Atteridgeville where he is serving his prison term, as the Covid-19 restrictions made it difficult. But he said during the times he had visited his son, he repeatedly said, “I am sorry, dad”.
“He has begged so many times for forgiveness. This thing is torturing him,” Pistorius’s father said.
The Steenkamps' lawyer Tania Koen said Barry and June Steenkamp did not want to comment on the claims that the disgraced athlete wanted their forgiveness for killing their only daughter.
Reeva’s cousin, Kim Martin, could not be reached for comment, but her husband, who answered her phone, said the family had put all this behind them and would not comment any further.
Pistorius is serving a 13-year and five-month prison sentence for the 2013 Valentine’s Day killing of the then model.
His father said he believed his son still had to serve about two more years before he could be considered for parole.
Pretoria News