The brutal reality of South Africa’s gun culture, and how some victims are fighting back.



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A woman is shot and killed and a 10-year-old girl wounded in a shootout between rival gangs in Westbury, west of Johannesburg. 



This is a real incident. And every day, there are similar news headlines everywhere in South Africa. 



Sometimes,
they make it to the main pages, sometimes they don’t. 



There are far too many to report.



The death of this woman angered the community in Westbury and put the area on pause, loaded with tension, as the locals blocked roads, burned tyres and threw stones at the police. 



They believed the police were not rightly addressing the turf war in the area over drugs and guns, and the violence the gangs perpetrated against women and children.



In South Africa, a total of 2,930 women and 294 girls were murdered in 2017/18, according to crime stats of the South African Police Service (SAPS).



The statistics have driven some women at least to enrol in self-defence classes. They say they have to.



We visit the Black Duck Field Sports Shooting and Archery Range in Honingklip in Krugersdorp, about 38 kms from Johannesburg, where men, women and children are taught to use firearms at the outdoor range. 



Donne Oosthuizen is a regular here and has been working with the Community Policing Forum (CPF) since 2002. She joined the neighborhood watch under the Douglasdale precinct, in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, in 2012; with that, came the responsibility to patrol the streets to protect the community.



“I didn’t have my husband to protect me so it was about myself; if we faced a situation [where we needed to defend ourselves] and obviously protect someone else if they needed it,” says Oosthuizen.



All this stems from the fact that she has also been a victim of crime.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> I’ve been through a lot of crime, I have been held up, been hijacked. My husband has had a gun to his head. I have two guns of my own, a 9mm and a shotgun, and I’m going to be building up my collection.</blockquote>



Oosthuizen has two daughters, aged seven and 10, and encourages them to practise at the shooting range, so they are not scared of using firearms if they need to protect themselves, and also so they are aware of the dangers of using them. 



“If there is a situation at home where we are not able to protect ourselves because we’ve been shot, they can then protect themselves. They both shoot 9mm guns,” she says.



Oosthuizen is one of five women on the neighborhood watch, the youngest being 19 and the oldest 60.



The 34-year-old Oosthuizen has introduced her mother, Debbie Walters, to firearms too.



“I haven’t been happy that my daughter has guns but I understand that in the times we live in, we sometimes have to protect ourselves, especially as women. When it comes to my granddaughters&#8230;. [if the situation arises], the girls will be able to protect us if necessary,” says Walters.



As we walk the length of the shooting range, shots are fired from all directions,deafening sounds not rare in South Africa’s inner cities, except that this time, it has a different context.



&nbsp;Judy Holding is yet another sharpshooter at the Black Duck range who has been handling guns since 2016. She feels a gun is a part of empowerment as it helps women protect themselves.



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="372" height="559" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo.png" alt="" data-id="38135" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2018/12/14/in-pictures-shots-fired-gun-violence-in-south-africa/attachment/tshepo/" class="wp-image-38135" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo.png 372w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo-300x451.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo-200x300.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px" /><figcaption> Wemeet Tshepo Seboko who was shot and injured during a robbery in Soweto in Johannesburg. Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="410" height="614" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo1.png" alt="" data-id="38136" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2018/12/14/in-pictures-shots-fired-gun-violence-in-south-africa/attachment/tshepo1/" class="wp-image-38136" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo1.png 410w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo1-300x449.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/tshepo1-200x300.png 200w" sizes="(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px" /><figcaption> Wemeet Tshepo Seboko who was shot and injured during a robbery in Soweto in Johannesburg.&nbsp; Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo﻿</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



“South Africa is dangerous and you need to be quite ready. We love this country, so if we are going to be here, we need to be prepared to live where we are,” says Holding.



She does not own a firearm yet but is in the process of getting a licence. 



According to the law, before owning a firearm, a person needs to obtain a licence from SAPS; he or she will need a licence for every firearm under possession. The person is then prescribed training at an accredited training institution for a proficiency certificate. The process takes about six months. From there on, one can obtain a legal firearm from accredited gun dealers.



But are guns, really, the only route to self-defence?



Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) was established in 1995 with the aim of reducing gun-related violence and making a solid contribution to the safety and security of South Africans. 



One of its founding members is Adèle Kirsten, who has been “a non-violent activist” for over 40 years now.



“1976 was my first year in university, that’s when the Soweto Uprising happened. So I joined the anti-apartheid movement. Most of my work during that time was around teaching people and engaging in what we called ‘direct non-violent action’. Basically, I come from a social justice background,” says Kirsten.



&nbsp;Today, Kirsten is the Director of GFSA and one of the biggest opponents of gun ownership in South Africa. She played a role in the National Peace Accord (NPA) during the 1990-1994 transition to democracy. 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="924" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun9.png" alt="" data-id="38126" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=38126" class="wp-image-38126" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun9.png 924w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun9-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun9-600x399.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun9-768x511.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px" /><figcaption> Black Duck Field Sports Shooting and Archery Range in Honingklip in Krugersdorp, about 38 kms from Johannesburg.&nbsp;Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="930" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun10.png" alt="" data-id="38128" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=38128" class="wp-image-38128" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun10.png 930w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun10-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun10-600x397.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun10-768x509.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px" /><figcaption> Black Duck Field Sports Shooting and Archery Range in Honingklip in Krugersdorp, about 38 kms from Johannesburg.&nbsp;Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



NPA was sought to end violence in South Africa and help establish a multi-party democracy.



&nbsp;That period was incredibly violent, she remembers. “More people were killed during that period than during the apartheid years. A lot of us were helping the country move through that period and into the first national democratic elections in 1994. It was also a time when massive [slug] guns were in the country.



“So we had a national amnesty in 1994 [calling to hand in firearms]. We didn’t get as many guns as we had hoped and we realized this is something we wanted to work on – a commitment to transforming our society.” 



In 1997, she was appointed to a committee by the then Minister of Safety and Security to help craft a new policy for gun laws. In 2000, the Firearms Control Act was passed by Parliament which is still in place today. The numbers may have come down, yet, the statistics are brutal. 



In 2014, reportedly, gun-related incidents overtook car accidents as the leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injuries in Cape Town’s government hospitals.



Wemeet Tshepo Seboko, a 31-year-old photography and videography student at the Vaal University of Technology, who was shot and injured during a robbery in Soweto in Johannesburg. Seboko was home for the weekend for his younger sister’s birthday. 



“There were three of us on our way back passing through a passage, including a female family friend, and a close friend. We heard someone running from behind us and made way for him. He suddenly stops, pulls out a gun and wants our phones. 



“The two managed to get away and I was in a tussle with the guy. He ends up on the floor and I start to run. As I was running away, that’s when I was shot from behind. After he shot me, he came and took whatever belongings I had,” Seboko painfully recalls.



He was rushed to hospital where he spent 10 days and was told he might not walk again because of the bullet lodged in his spine; which he has to date. After 10 days in the Intensive Care Unit, Seboko was moved to a rehabilitation center.After three months, he willed himself to get back to mainstream life.







<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> I just realized how beautiful the gift of life is after such a dramatic [incident], he says.</blockquote>



Seboko went back to school but didn’t complete his course at the Tshwane University of Pretoria because he lost interest. Things changed after he accepted the harsh reality of his life.



Fortunately, the man who inflicted such bodily harm on him was arrested a few months later, and in 2010, sentenced to 18 years in jail.



“I heard earlier this year that he was released. I have the anger for it, but ever since the incident, I have not let the anger overwhelm me to make me the same person that he is in terms of violence. So it doesn’t really affect me. I wouldn’t know until I come face-to-face with him. So right now, I’m feeling robbed not only by him but the justice system,” Seboko says.



Seboko quit his corporate job after getting himself a camera and went back to creative school. He loves photography and has been inspired by his friends. He hopes to turn his pain into creativity and awareness.



Trauma is never easy to deal with. Nthabiseng Mogale, a 25-year-old qualified paramedic in Johannesburg, has saved countless lives working out of an emergency room on wheels.



She talks about trauma management in transit. “If a patient was shot and is conscious, it’s easier because you can communicate. We try stabilizing the gun wounds, controlling the bleeding and if the patient is in too much pain, we get medication into the body using drips to be able to move the patient on to a spine board, called a stabilization board. This board minimizes pain and stabilizes the neck and the spine,” says Mogale.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 



Women and children continue to be vulnerable to gun-related crimes. With the festive season approaching, the numbers are likely to go up. A police officer working in central Johannesburg, who does not want to be named, says the only solution is more “visible policing”.



“There are more operations now, and roadblocks to stop criminals, and there’s more patrolling in the malls,” he says. 



Yet, will the guns ever go silent in South Africa?&nbsp; 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="925" height="617" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun1.png" alt="" data-id="38122" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=38122" class="wp-image-38122" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun1.png 925w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun1-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun1-600x400.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun1-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px" /><figcaption>Police officer at Westbury protest, west of Johannesburg, on&nbsp;‎1 ‎October ‎2018. Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="929" height="617" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun2.png" alt="" data-id="38123" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=38123" class="wp-image-38123" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun2.png 929w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun2-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun2-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun2-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 929px) 100vw, 929px" /><figcaption> Protestors throw rocks at the police in Westbury,&nbsp; west of Johannesburg, on&nbsp;‎1 ‎October ‎2018.&nbsp; Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Bullet points</h4>



According to 2018 statistics by Gun Free South Africa(GFSA), women make up 11% of gun-related murder victims. Guns are also used to injure, threaten and intimidate.



• Women are most at risk of being shot in their home by their intimate partner.



• Most victims have been threatened with a firearm before being shot. The four main types of threatening gun-related behaviour by men are: 



1) Threatening to shoot their partner 



2) Cleaning, holding or loading a gun during an argument 



3) Threatening to shoot a person or a pet the partner cares about 



4) Shooting a gun during an argument.



• Intimate partner violence and gun deaths are particularly high in families where men use a gun for work, such as in the police, army or private security industry.



• Two national studies of femicide (the murder of women) show that the number of women killed by their intimate partner (called intimate femicide) has dropped from four women a day in 1999 (an average of one woman being killed every six hours) to three women a day (one every eight hours) in 2009. Researchers attributed this decline to the Firearms Control Act (2000).



• Men make up 89% of gun murder victims in South Africa.



• Men living in metro areas have a “notably higher” rate of murder.



• Murder rates are highest in the 15–29 years age group.



• 23 people are shot and killed every day in South Africa.



&nbsp;138 people survive a gunshot every day in South Africa,often with severe disabilities closely associated with spinal cord injury. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies trauma, specifically motor vehicle accidents, as the leading cause of such injuries worldwide, followed by falls and violence. However, according to the WHO, South Africa has a very high violence-related traumatic spinal cord injury rate in 2018.



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="925" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun4.png" alt="" data-id="38124" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=38124" class="wp-image-38124" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun4.png 925w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun4-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun4-600x400.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gun4-768x511.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px" /><figcaption> Black Duck Field Sports Shooting and Archery Range in Honingklip in Krugersdorp, about 38 kms from Johannesburg.&nbsp;Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="928" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Gun7.png" alt="" data-id="38125" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=38125" class="wp-image-38125" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Gun7.png 928w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Gun7-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Gun7-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Gun7-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" /><figcaption> Black Duck Field Sports Shooting and Archery Range in Honingklip in Krugersdorp, about 38 kms from Johannesburg.&nbsp;Picture: Motlabana Monnakgatlo</figcaption></figure></li></ul>

gun3

IN PICTURES | Shots Fired: Gun Violence In South Africa

This zinc enclosure, hidden between two shacks in a South African township, is a hot little corner of hell. The dog inside, a powerful pit bull, cowers as the door is broken open and the torches of the raid team shine on him. He’s one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dogs kept in hiding, chained and neglected, to serve an explosion of dog fighting across the country.
It’s a crime which occurs far from middle-class homes and businesses – yet it serves as both an indicator and predictor of crime that looms over them. Where dog fighting flourishes, drugs, gambling, organized crime, thievery, assault and murder march in lockstep.
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“Dog fighters are violent criminals that engage in a whole host of peripheral criminal activities. Many are heavily involved in organized crime, racketeering, drug distribution, or gangs, and they arrange and attend the fights as a forum for gambling and drug trafficking,” wrote Hannah Gibson, in a study published by the College of Law of Michigan State University in 2005.
But why has this crime taken off in South Africa?
Twenty years ago, in a Gauteng study of complaints registered at major branches of the SPCA (the local arm of the animal welfare organization NSPCA), dog fighting didn’t even feature, says Wendy Willson, Manager of NSPCA’s Special Investigations Unit – there was just one report where two dogs jumped their walls and mixed it up. But “in the 2014-2015 statistics, there were over 1,290 reports of dog fighting to the NSPCA.”
These ballooning stats are just the tip of the iceberg; dog fighting has almost no recognition among the public and police in South Africa. Most people have no idea that it is a crime and police have been known to laugh in disbelief when animal welfare organizations report incidents.
The same applies to the rest of Africa. Dog fighting as a crime is almost unheard of, although it has leaked out into surrounding Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, such as Namibia, to a limited extent. But the SPCA in Kenya, for example, says there is no dog fighting there, while Uganda’s SPCA “suspected but could not confirm” some isolated incidents.
However, Amina Abaza, Chair of the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE), says dog fighting is an issue in Egypt.
“It is becoming more and more popular, especially in the lower class of the society,” she says.
In Egypt, it’s not yet against the law and videos of fights are often posted online. People import dogs from Eastern Europe.
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“Each litter will bring them money,” says Abaza.
“It’s a symptom of an economic time and of a defiant and desperate youth,” says Willson.
Dog fighting occurs worldwide, especially where young men have little prospects and feel emasculated, as shown in a 2008 study of dog fighting among low-income youth in London. But, in South Africa, it has an added layer of ferocity and is largely driven by bloodlust, says Willson.
It’s a perfect vicious circle: exposure to dog fighting at a young age reduces empathy. Older boys and young men maintain the circle by inducting a new generation of children into this secretive world.
In Duduza, a township east of Johannesburg, the NSPCA were approached by a school concerned at the behavior of about 20 pupils, who were mimicking dog fights in the playground – biting, growling and attacking each other, and even playing out the mating of dogs. These boys, aged between nine and 13, had been introduced to dog fighting by an older boy or man whom they looked up to. School records show behavior changes over six months: “Elevated aggression levels, bullying and violent outbursts,” says Willson, noting that one child attacked his teacher with a six-inch nail.
In the hyper-stimulating and ‘fraternal’ atmosphere of a dog fight, these boys are exposed to unbelievable brutality. It is an introduction to a network of criminality that drives an inability to understand another’s pain and fear. Often violence becomes part of the thrill.
Fortunately, the criminal justice system and communities are beginning to take this issue seriously. In 1995, an early dog fighting bust netted several people who were fined (the wider group all chipped in to pay the fines). Today, dog fighters go to jail.
The NSPCA Special Investigations Unit gathers evidence patiently, over many months, and keeps the identities of informants safe, to construct a strong case in court. They’ve developed an ability to forensically examine dog carcasses and bones and determine what kind of fighting the dog has been forced into from the lesions on the bones.
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“It’s important that communities, especially parents, understand [that] when their children get involved in dog fighting, they risk criminal records – which means they’ll probably never work,” says Cora Bailey of Community Led Animal Welfare (CLAW), an organization that is trying to educate people on the dangers of dog fighting in townships west of Johannesburg.
“Communities know how dangerous dog fighting is, to them and their children,” says Bailey. “They don’t want this going on next door. They know it ups the violence quotient considerably.”
The violence of dog fighting is not only felt by the dogs, the community is also being hurt, despite being unaware that a cruel blood sport is becoming rampant near their homes.

The Criminal World Of Dog Eat Dog

In October 2015, Oscar Pistorius, the South African double amputee Olympian runner sentenced to five years’ jail for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013, was released for correctional supervision.
He spent 10 months behind bars, and will now be under house arrest.
The world’s media gathered outside Pistorius’ uncle’s home in Waterkloof, near Pretoria, South Africa, for a glimpse of the athlete, but the family instead sent out spokeswoman and former journalist Anneliese Burgess, who said:  “He is simply entering the next phase of his sentence now. He will serve this under strict conditions that govern correctional supervision.”
Pistorius’ prosecutors have now appealed to the Supreme Court to scale up his sentence from culpable homicide to murder.
Karin van Eck, a lawyer at Clarke &amp; Van Eck Attorneys in Pretoria, says the situation could change.
<div id="attachment_30942" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30942" class="size-medium wp-image-30942" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/000_Par8117606-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/000_Par8117606-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/000_Par8117606-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/000_Par8117606-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/000_Par8117606-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/000_Par8117606.jpg 1023w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />June Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamp&#8217;s mother.</div>
“If the state is successful in their appeal, then that would mean that he’s found guilty of murder and that would influence the sentencing and he doesn’t qualify for correctional supervision,” says van Eck.
The courtroom dramas that sent the athlete to prison in 2014 had been watched by the world. People wondered what was going to happen to him; but what about Reeva?
Thousands expressed outrage over Pistorius being the focal point of the trial, prompting #HerNameWasReevaSteenkamp to trend in defiance.
Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp was the face of the family throughout the trial but broke her silence for her book Reeva: A Mother’s Story, released in 2014.
In addition, June has now launched a foundation to help women and children who are victims of domestic abuse as her way of keeping her daughter’s legacy alive.
In October 2015, dressed in a black jacket, June had addressed students at her daughter’s old school in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, saying: “I will now carry on where she left off”. She read out excerpts of the speech her daughter was going to make to students the day she died.
In the televized address, she also said: “I have got no feelings of revenge. I don’t want to hurt [Pistorius]. He is already a disabled person. I did not want him to be thrown into jail and suffering because I don’t wish suffering on anyone and that’s not going to bring Reeva back.”
Nooshin Erfani-Ghadimi, project manager at Wits Justice Project, a program of the journalism department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, reckons the wheels of justice turn slowly, and the case is not over, yet.
“What we want to see, in order to have a fair and just system, is the same amount of attention being paid, as has been paid to Oscar’s case, as to the myriad of cases in the system which are the cause of miscarriages of justice for victims, families, the accused and their families too.”
The jury is still out.

ED_0020953

But What About Reeva?

Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympic running champion and global icon, became an incarcerated man on a balmy day in late October. Long before the presiding judge, Thokozile Masipa, handed down her sentence, crowds formed in the jacaranda-lined street outside Pretoria’s North Gauteng High Court.
As Judge Masipa’s voice wafted to the street from live TV feeds outside the court, she reminded everyone that ‘sentencing is about achieving the right balance’. With these words, discontent grew. Many feared that they were not going to get their pound of flesh.
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Then the verdict: Pistorius was handed a three-year suspended sentence for discharging a firearm in a restaurant concurrently with a five-year custodial sentence for manslaughter. Legal experts claim that he must serve at least a sixth of his sentence to be eligible for parole. This means he could spend just 10 months behind bars followed by correctional supervision in the form of house arrest.
Golden Miles Bhudu, an activist from the South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights, was livid as the sentence was announced. He had been put behind bars, he says, for six years for a furniture warehouse robbery in the late 1980s. He explained the sentence to a pair of French tourists who looked confused.
“It is the first time in all these years for culpable homicide you get correctional supervision&#8230; he’s a rich man!”
Cries of injustice came in a score of tongues outside the courthouse. A placard lent silent support to Bhudu, “Are certain offenders more equal than others in the eyes of the law?”
Nathaniel Joy, a Ghanaian on his lunch break, chimed in.
“He’s a super-rich person and even the victim is from a poor part [of the country]. I can see now its politics!”
The South African justice system also came under fire.
“I think it’s weak, it can be manipulated with money,” says the young man as his friend nods in agreement.
Not everyone was of the same mind. Simphiwe Rabede, a government worker from Pretoria, thought that justice was done.
“I think it was a fair judgement after all the deliberation and the arguments presented in court, despite the public perception, it was a fair judgement.”
Sitting nearby, a lawyer on another matter with long blonde hair, who asked to remain anonymous, agreed.
“I think Judge Masipa gave a fair sentence in the eyes of the law,” she says.
A little over an hour after the sentence was passed, Arnold Pistorius, the uncle representing the family, spoke.
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“The court has handed down its judgement and we accept this judgement,” he told an army of journalists outside the High Court Chambers. He appealed to the public to do the same.
Minutes before, an armored police van battled through a crowd of activists, onlookers and journalists as it made its way to the nearby Kgosi Mampuru II prison where Pistorius is serving his custodial sentence for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
After a month of speculation, prosecutors announced that they will appeal Judge Masipa’s decision, claiming that the sentence was ‘shockingly light’.

21/10/14:  The Day Oscar Went to Prison

Pistorius has a net worth off $5 million and is on bail, accused of shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Whatever happens during the trial, it is clear that the life of endorsements and advertising campaigns is over.
He is estimated to have received endorsements worth more than $2 million a year. Amongst them was sportswear giant Nike, British Telecommunications, Thierry Mugler fragrance, Oakley sunglass, and Ossur, an Icelandic firm that makes the prosthetic carbon fiber blades, which he wears during his races.
Johannesburg-based marketing and communications strategist Clive Simpkins believes it won’t all be gloom and doom for the 26-year-old athlete, as it’s believed he is a director of several companies among many, owned by the Pistorius family.
“His sponsorship revenues, although evidently worth a hefty sum of money, were not his sole means of support. Even without them, he’s unlikely to suffer financial deprivation. Regardless of the outcome, he’s now pretty much ‘un-sponsorable’, says Simpkins.
He added that no company could afford to associate themselves with Pistorius, out of fear of their brands being eclipsed by the controversial personality connected with it. As the Blade Runner prepares to prove his innocence, the sponsors have moved away. Nike confirmed to FORBES AFRICA that it has suspended its contract with the athlete, but would not say how much it was worth.
“We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely,” says Seruscka Naidoo, communications manager for Nike South Africa.
The sports apparel giant removed an advert of Pistorius, which showed him setting off from starting blocks alongside the tagline “I am the bullet in the chamber”.
Top sunglass brand Oakley also severed ties with the athlete but again refused to disclose the terms of the contract.
“In light of the recent allegations, Oakley is suspending its contract with Oscar Pistorius, effective immediately. Our hearts are with the families during this difficult time and we’ll continue to follow the developments in this tragic case,” says Cheri Quigley, spokeswoman for Oakley in the States.
Thierry Mugler—Pistorius was the face of its A*Men fragrance in 2011—also withdrew all its campaigns featuring the athlete.
M-Net Movies, a South African pay TV channel, pulled its TV advert campaign and billboards featuring the athlete to promote Hollywood movies, with the run up to the Academy Awards. The advert’s tagline was: “Every night is Oscar night”.
Pistorius was also dropped from the South African leg of the “It Gets Better” global video campaign, where high-profile figures give support to gay teenagers. He was shown in the video saying, “Just remember that you’re special. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to change. Take a deep breath and remember it will get better”.
Assets that the athlete owns include three houses and a vacant plot worth a total of around R8.3 million ($903,300). The house where the shooting took place in a gated security village outside the capital city of Pretoria is worth around R5.6 million ($609,500). The luxury home has been on the market since September 2011. The vacant plot he owns is located in the Western Cape, near Cape Town is worth around $190,000.
In his affidavit Pistorius says that he has an annual income of around R5.6 million and movable assets including household furniture, cars, jewelry worth around $56,000. He also has “cash investments” of around R1 million ($108,800) with various banks in the country.
The athlete is currently on strict bail conditions and was ordered to pay bail of R1 million. In March his lawyers tried to get his bail’s conditions relaxed to no avail. The 26-year-old was ordered to hand over his guns and passport and was forbidden to return to his upscale home, where the shooting took place. He may undergo random, mandatory alcohol and drug tests and also has to report to a police station twice week or be visited by a probation officer. Pistorius will also have to be in regular contact with his probation officials, who will report on his state of mind. He was warned against contacting any potential witnesses in the case against him.
Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder and will appear in court on June 4.
The story caught the eye of rogue trader, Nick Leeson. The man, who at the time aged 25, broke Barings Bank, the Queens bank in Britain. Leeson lost £862 million ($1.3 billion) through unauthorized trading and spent more than four years in a jail in Singapore.
He believes that the truth will come out even though it could take a while.
“The big thing for me is about accountability. You have to accept you did something wrong. And sometimes that’s the most difficult journey. You need to get that degree of accountability, otherwise it’s impossible to move forward. So whatever happened, he has to come to terms with it,” says Leeson.
Sage advice from a former young man to a troubled young man.

Tag: Murder

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