IT'S MY DUTY TO FIGHT

Meet the lawyer who's made it her mission to keep Oscar Pistorius and Donovan Moodley behind bars

- KESHIA AFRICA

SHE tries to stay strong for the sake of her clients. But sometimes it all gets too much for Tania Koen, sitting with them in court for weeks on end and witnessing their pain as they look their daughters’ killers in the eye, hoping for justice.

“I’ve cried with my clients,” says the lawyer from Gqeberha.

“I have no problem with crying and showing emotion. We’re all human and it doesn’t make me less of an attorney.”

Tania’s credentials as an attorney are certainly not in question. She’s been at the heart of June and Barry Steenkamp’s fight to keep Oscar Pistorius behind bars for killing their daughter, Reeva, on Valentine’s Day in 2013. The parole board recently refused the former Paralympian’s request to be released, saying he hadn’t served enough time.

“While we welcome the decision, it’s not a cause for celebration,” Tania says. “We miss Reeva terribly and will do so for the rest of our lives. We believe in justice and hope it continues to prevail.”

She’s also worked closely with Rob and Sharon Matthews whose 21-year-old daughter, Leigh Matthews, was kidnapped and murdered by Donovan Moodley in 2004. Tania was instrumental in keeping him in prison too.

She was at Rob and Sharon’s side at Johannesburg Prison as they faced Moodley, who’s hoping to walk free after serving 18 years of a life sentence.

Two days later she was at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria representing the Steenkamps in their bid to stop Pistorius from being released after serving just half of his 13-year sentence.