White balloons for Oscar

Oscar Pistorius supporters wait outside the High Court in Pretoria. Photo: @SapaNews

Oscar Pistorius supporters wait outside the High Court in Pretoria. Photo: @SapaNews

Published Apr 14, 2014

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Pretoria - A cluster of white balloons will greet murder accused Oscar Pistorius when he arrives at the High Court in Pretoria on Monday morning.

A group of people, mainly women, were waiting next to the bus stop outside the court's main entrance. Scribbled on the balloons in black marker were the words “Ozzie” and “We love you Ozzie”. A woman held a piece of paper with a black and white picture of Pistorius and the words “Ozzie we love you and pray for you”.

The group were members of a Facebook page set up in support of the paralympic athlete during his trial. There are currently six such pages.

One of its members, Rika Bothma, was holding a small white cross with the word “geloof” (faith) on it.

“We are here to show support for Oscar, to show him that the people still care. He made us all proud. He represented South Africa at the Olympics and the Paralympics. I've got so much respect for what he did.”

Bothma said she did not follow the trial closely “because it's so negative”.

“I'm very disappointed to see how people have turned their backs on him now that this has happened.”

If Pistorius was found guilty she would still support him.

“None of us is without sin,” she said.

Pistorius is accused of the murder of Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria townhouse on February 14 last year. He shot her through the locked door of his toilet, apparently thinking she was an intruder about to come out and attack him.

Monday will be his sixth day on the stand, with cross-examination by prosecutor Gerrie Nel set to continue.

He is also charged with three contraventions of the Firearms Control Act, one of illegal possession of ammunition and two of discharging a firearm in public.

He allegedly fired a shot from a Glock pistol under a table at a Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013. On September 30, 2012 he allegedly shot through the open sunroof of a car with his 9mm pistol while driving with friends in Modderfontein. - Sapa

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