It was on the morning of Valentine's Day 2013, that Afrikaans newspaper Die Beeld reported a tragedy that occurred in the home of South African Olympic runner, Oscar Pistorius. The paper reported a shooting that resulted in the loss of a female who was later confirmed as the track-star's girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
The victim's mother spoke out in an emotional interview above stating that "all she wanted to know [when she received a phone call from the police] was to know whether her daughter was alive or dead". Critics described the interview as "a picture of heartbreak".
The on-going case has caught global attention as Pistorius appeared in court on numerous occasions after which he presented his affidavit documenting the events that took place on that fateful evening. Pistorius claimed that he had mistaken girlfriend Reeva for an intruder at which point he felt the need to defend himself as he felt vulnerable. He then stated that by the time he realized that there was no intruder and he had in fact fired shots at his lover, it was too late and she died in his arms.
 |
| Oscar Pistorius appears in court - Pretoria Image by The Guardian |
As the bail hearing commenced last week, the media paid close attention to the trial just weeks after the case of the brutal rape and murder of local teenager Anene Booysen, which in addition to the Pistorius case, highlighted to the need to prioritize the prevention of violence again women and children in South Africa. Pistorius was granted bail and released late last week which raised a number of concerns in the public sphere about the final verdict and whether his release has any racial relations.
Accoriding to The Guardian it may take years before a final verdict is considered and although the case has sparked great international interest and concerns about the level of crime and justice in South Africa, it has been noted that Pistorius is surrounded by an extremely powerful legal and reputation management team and this may affect the reputation of the country in it's entirety.
http://bit.ly/XMcXJb (City Press)
http://bit.ly/CrvZ7 (Die Beeld)
http://n24.cm/11tWMZ4 (News 24)
http://bit.ly/XWfAbr (The Guardian)
No comments:
Post a Comment