Cape Town – Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic runner convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has reportedly caused outrage by planning to release a tell-all book worth £1 million (R23 million).
According to The Sun, family and friends of Steenkamp are reportedly upset and angry about the potential financial gain from Pistorius’s memoirs.
Pistorius, who was recently released on parole after serving nine years of a 13-year term, found religion in prison and spent his time writing the book., the report said.
“Oscar spent a lot of time writing.
“Some prisoners do this to show the parole board that they have accepted what they have done. There are already a lot of publishers that are interested.
“But publishing a book, and particularly making money out of it, has gone down very badly with Reeva’s family.
“They desperately want to get on with their lives but this will add to their grief,” the report quoted a close family source as saying.
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Strict parole terms may, however, require permission from South African authorities to publish it.
The book is expected to attract significant interest from publishers and potentially generate film rights revenue.
Last week, June Steenkamp, the mother of Reeva, expressed her despair, saying that she had given up hope that Pistorius would ever disclose the truth about the events that transpired in February 2013, Daily Mail reported.
‘My Christianity requires me to forgive. I forgave Oscar a long time ago. I forgive for my own sake, not for his.
‘Forgiveness does not mean he must not pay for what he has done. Oscar did not only take Reeva’s life when he killed Reeva in cold blood, he also took Barry and my life. Our joy, our future grandchildren,” the report quoted June as saying.
Pistorius’s strict parole conditions may also pose a challenge to the book’s publication, as he is currently prohibited from speaking to the media.
Prison authorities had previously warned the press that there would be no opportunity to photograph or speak to him.
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Source: AFP
Picture: X/@Oluomoofderby
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