Pumza Fihlani –Today we heard from the first people Oscar Pistorius entrusted with the chilling confession that he had just shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Johan Stander and his daughter Carice arrived at he Pistorius house, minutes after the shooting. Both seemed distraught on the stand as they testified about Ms Steekamp’s last moments.
Mr Stander told the court of the athlete’s desperate attempts to save her. “How he begged God to keep her alive. I saw that truth that morning. I saw it and I feel it,” he testified. His daughter told the court how Mr Pistorius pleaded with Ms Steenkamp not to leave him. “Stay with me, my love, stay with me,” she said through tears.
Both painted a desperate and sad picture of the frantic battle to save a dying Steenkamp. It is important to add though that both sides agree that after shooting the model Mr Pistorius was overcome with immense grief. What they don’t agree on though are the events prior to the firing of those fateful shots – the difference between murder and a tragic accident. That is what this case will come down to when the court reaches its verdict. more
