Pretoria - Sushi king-turned-politician Kenny Kunene, Education Minister Angie Motshekga and blonde former girlfriend Samantha Taylor, were among the many who braved the heat of packed courtroom GD in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday to catch a glimpse of Oscar Pistorius.
Some probably thought this would be their last glimpse of the 27-year-old Olympian in the dock before Judge Thokozile Masipa finally decided his fate.
But this was soon put to rest, as the judge enquired at the start of proceedings how long pre-sentencing procedures would last.
Defence advocate Barry Roux said he had four witnesses, while prosecutor Gerrie Nel did not seem sure about how many witnesses he would call. Nel said he hoped the proceedings would not last more than a week.
Day 44 of the trial was marked by beefed-up security. Everyone entering the main courtroom had to – for the first time since the trial started seven moths ago – go through a metal scanner.
Pistorius arrived at court at about 9am, flanked by heavily armed members of the police’s tactical response unit. This was clearly in a bid to keep the hundreds of spectators outside court at bay.
Security guards manning the inside of the courtroom only admitted members of the media with valid accreditation tags.
Shortly before the doors of the court room opened, paramedics arrived with a stretcher which was left outside the court, ready for any eventuality. Two paramedics then took their seats in the front of the court where they remained for the remainder of the day.
June and Barry Steenkamp were the first family members to take their seats in the front row. They were greeted with a nod by an uncomfortable looking Pistorius. But, as usual, the Steenkamps remained stone-faced.
Members of the Pistorius family crammed into the opposite side of the public gallery, hugging and kissing. Oscar’s brother Carl, was also there, on crutches. He previously attended proceedings in a wheelchair owing to injuries sustained in a car accident.
The blonde, petite Samantha Taylor, Pistorius’s ex-girlfriend and her mother Trish – who co-authored Oscar: An Accident Waiting To Happen with Melinda Ferguson – had to take their place among the public as the VIP seats were already taken.
Samantha, who was clearly hurt by the fact that Pistorius had found a new love in Reeva Steenkamp within days of them breaking up, smiled sweetly and greeted June and Barry Steenkamp, before taking her place a stone’s throw from where Pistorius was sitting in the dock. The “Blade Runner” may have received cold stares from his former lover, but his father Henke made up for it.
While it earlier appeared that they were not close, on Monday they embraced – a rare sight for those who have attended the trial.
Kunene, who arrived driving a Porsche Panamera, with personalised “SoWhat” number plates, said he was there to support a friend.
He agreed with the defence that Pistorius should be given a non custodial sentence. Kunene had parked in a reserved bus lane and received a parking ticket.
Pretoria News