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="auto, (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.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3306" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_7375-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
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.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3307" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_7390-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
“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

On the second day of the trial, set to last three weeks, the heavy and cold rain over Pretoria’s Gauteng North High Court, didn’t stop the army of journalists from tussling for a glimpse of the accused outside the court.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2628" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_3498-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
The 27-year-old Paralympic athlete was charged with the murder of his 29-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s day last year. He is out on R1 million ($93,000) bail.
In the tangle of stepladders and tripods there was shoving and anger. Even passing school children and shop workers pushed into the fray.
This is the media frenzy and fuss around Pistorius’ trial. Bernard Hotz, the director and head of the business crimes and forensics practice at Werksmans Attorneys, is one lawyer uncomfortable with it.
“Remember, the person who is on trial here is Oscar Pistorius not the judiciary system. I personally feel that it is problematic for the media to be involved in the way they are. In terms of the bill of rights, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” says Hotz.
The attorney adds that there’s too much speculation and analysis happening after each word uttered by witnesses, that could hamper the work of the courts.
“If you walk in the street and ask anybody ‘so did he do it or didn’t he do it?’ Most of the people may say he did it, he should go to jail. Whether or not that is right, it can only be decided upon by the judge after hearing all the evidence and applying law,” says Hotz.
But Hotz says he believes the presiding judge, Thokozile Masipa, is strong enough to control the trial.
Masipa, who was once a crime reporter, was stern in court. She warned journalists that if they don’t behave they won’t be treated with soft gloves. This follows the publishing of a picture of a witness, transgressing the conditions of the court.
“You’re dealing with human psychology, if you watch the television, everybody in the court is playing to the audience. That for me runs contrary to our court system in South Africa, bearing in mind we don’t have a jury system here, it’s about presenting evidence to the judge who must decide the case based on the evidence and the law,” says Hotz.
Guilty or innocent, Pistorius will dig deep for this trial.
“Quiet easily, the total cost of the trial, including the year’s preparations, could be anywhere between R6 million ($559,000) and R8 million ($745,000),” says Hotz.
Hotz, senior litigation attorney with 21 years of law experience, says his hourly rate is R3,750 ($350) and R37,500 ($3,500) per day.
“If you take me as an attorney, with my team dealing with a complex civil litigation matter, the cost would be in the same region. Unfortunately, the cost of litigation, not only in South Africa but throughout the world, is exceptionally expensive.”
Pistorius can negotiate a package deal of R100,000 ($9,300) a day for the three weeks of the trial. He could end up paying his legal team up to R2 million ($186,000) over this time.
The price of justice appears to come at a premium.

The High Price Of Justice

When Pistorius appeared in court on June 4, his case was postponed to August 19 for further investigations. The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court was packed with journalists, who started arriving at 5AM. There was pushing and shoving to gain entry into the court building. Ten seats were reserved for the families of the accused and deceased.
Pistorius and his family were met by a large crowd of media outside the court house. Pistorius was wearing a charcoal gray suit with a blue shirt and tie, as he took his seat in the dock. The Blade Runner, as he is known, turned his back on photographers as he was greeted by his brother Carl, sister Aimee and uncle Arnold, before the proceedings. A clean shaven Pistorius spent the proceedings standing up.
It was a short court appearance, where the state asked the court for the matter to be postponed to August to complete the investigation. The docket is still with police. Pistorius’ legal team, led by Advocate Barry Roux, did not oppose the postponement for the appearance that will fall on the day Steenkamp would have turned 30.
After the appearance, when asked why the date of the postponement fell on Steenkamp’s birthday, Medupe Simasiku of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said: “The date was an agreement between the two parties but we were not aware it was the deceased’s birthday. We are satisfied with the progress of the investigation and everything that has been done. We want to see this case going forward fair and square,” he says.
Simasiku says that they are hoping to have the docket in their possession before August 19. But legal experts say the case will be postponed once again, most likely, as the defense team would not have had enough time to study the docket to prepare their case.
Law expert, Advocate Percy Tshabalala, who is not involved in the case, says that once the investigations are concluded, the matter has to be set down and a trial date agreed on.
“The matter will probably be postponed for a trial date and this will give the defence time to prepare. From there, he [Pistorius] will have to plead and then the case will be under way,” says Tshabalala.
It has been established that the delay is due to outstanding forensic results. Police are still to give a report on the forensic analysis of the toilet door through which Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend. The door is being studied to establish the trajectory of the bullets Pistorius fired, which would indicate where he was standing and whether he was wearing his prosthesis.
After being told the matter was postponed, by acting chief magistrate Daniel Thulare, Pistorius softly replied: “Yes your honor”.
After telling Pistorius of the postponement, Thulare took a swipe at the media. This was brought on by graphic photographs of the crime scene, shown by British satellite news channel SkyNews.
Thulare warned against what he referred to as “scandalous and possibly contemptuous” reporting and trial by the media. The photographs showed the bullet holes and blood-spattered bathroom, where Pistorius shot Steenkamp. Thulare asked the state to investigate how information related to the case had come into the public domain. He says this kind of reporting can hinder judicial processes.
“Anyone who has information that might assist at arriving at decision must approach the NPA. It is important that we rally behind the call. It is important that we invite our colleagues from around the world to respect the republic’s processes,” says Thulare.
Pistorius’ family has also lambasted the publishing of the photographs. In a statement on his website, the family says: “We were shaken by the graphic images, leaked into the public domain this week, of the accident scene at Oscar’s house. It has always been our plea that the legal process be allowed [to] run its course with integrity. The leaking of evidential material into the public domain, before the court case, does not advance this process. We continue to have great faith in the South African legal justice system and believe that Oscar’s account of what happened on that terrible night in February will be borne out by the evidence that the defence team will lead in court”.
Pistorius, who is arguably South Africa’s best-known athlete, enjoys support from all over the world. Messages flood his website.
“I felt deeply saddened by the images that appeared today of Oscar entering the court room and not being left alone. He could hardly get to the building. Oscar, please believe that there are those of us who truly believe in you and I will continue to pray for you. My support will not waiver. Oscar I know that the courts, in the end, will do the right thing. Stay strong Oscar and don’t ever forget that you are a good man with a good heart, who made a terrible mistake. Lots of prayers are coming your way,” wrote one supporter.

The Pain Of The Blade Runner

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: Reeva Steenkamp

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

But What About Reeva?

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

The High Price Of Justice

The Pain Of The Blade Runner

Oscar’s Lost Millions