Oscar’s manager faces grilling

Oscar Pistorius speaks on his cellphone as he leaves after the first day of his sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on October 13, 2014. Picture: Mike Hutchings

Oscar Pistorius speaks on his cellphone as he leaves after the first day of his sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on October 13, 2014. Picture: Mike Hutchings

Published Oct 14, 2014

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Johannesburg -

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel will continue to cross-examine Oscar Pistorius's manager, Petrus van Zyl, on Tuesday in the athlete's sentencing proceedings.

Van Zyl told the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday about Pistorius's involvement with various charities and that the athlete was planning to retire in 2017. He said Pistorius lost all his endorsements after the shooting.

Van Zyl said he was negotiating new contracts for Pistorius up until 2017 and the last talks were on February 7, 2013 - a week before the athlete shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Nel asked for an early adjournment to go over the documents Van Zyl handed to the court.

Nel on Monday tried to discredit two of the witnesses called by Pistorius's defence.

Barry Roux, for Pistorius, called three witnesses on Monday - the athlete's psychologist Dr Lore Hartzenberg, Van Zyl, and correctional services department social worker Mashaba Joel Maringa.

On September 12, Judge Thokozile Masipa found the Paralympian not guilty of murdering Steenkamp in his Pretoria townhouse on Valentine's Day last year, but convicted him of culpable homicide.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp through the locked door of the toilet, apparently thinking she was an intruder about to emerge and attack him. She was hit in the hip, arm and head. - Sapa

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