Pretoria - Reeva Steenkamp's father Barry has given harrowing testimony of how his family had been shattered by his daughter's death, barely able to contain his tears.
Pistorius was convicted of murder in December last year after the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned his culpable homicide conviction for shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp by firing four bullets through a closed bathroom door at the athlete's Pretoria East home.
This week, the State and defence will argue in aggravation and mitigation for Judge Thokozile Masipa to determine the athlete's possible sentence.
While the defence quickly wrapped up its witnesses on Tuesday morning, the State called its first witness, Reeva’s father, Barry, to the stand to testify about the impact his daughter's death has had on himself and his family.
He explained that he was unable to testify during the trial proceedings for medical reasons, advised by his doctor.
"Do you now feel comfortable giving evidence?" asked State prosecutor Gerrie Nel.
"I must give evidence," he responded.
His voice quivering, Barry said he thought of his daughter every day, at all hours.
He said that he had portraits of his daughter around his home, so that she would always be with her family, and that he would still speak to her.
Since her death, he said he struggled to engage in social occasions.
Barry then told the court that he had held onto Reeva’s cellphone, to look at her hundreds of pictures.
"From that day, it's affected June (Steenkamp's mother) and myself and my family so much and it's very difficult to explain that. Our lives have changed completely," he said, when asked how Steenkamp's death had affected his life.
"It devastated us. I ended up having a stroke," he said. "I just don't wish that on anybody in this whole world."
On the verge of tears, he spoke of how Steenkamp was the only minor child who lived with the family when they resided in Port Elizabeth. At the time of Steenkamp's death, he said the family had been struggling with money and that the landlady had given them notice to move out of their home after reading reports of their financial instability - two weeks after the young woman's death.
According to Barry, Steenkamp had moved up to Joburg to further her modelling career, and then eventually practise law and later be able to look after her parents.
Shortly before her death, Steenkamp called her parents to say that she was going to be on a reality show, and paid for her parents to get DSTV to watch it.
On the day of the murder, Barry was at work, training horses. He got a phone call from his wife, and struggled to understand what she was so upset about. "Come home immediately," she told him.
It was then that he realised Steenkamp had been killed and began panicking.
When he arrived at home, a friend of the family was there and tried to comfort them. "I can't go into the whole thing and tell you exactly how we felt," he said, trembling.
When asked about the night of the shooting, Barry quickly said: "I personally think that there was an argument (that night)." Nel interjected and asked the shattered parent to stop.
"She must have been in so much pain. I think about it all the time. That is what I visualise," he said.
He then described how since her death, on Christmas and Steenkamp's birthdays, they would set a place for her at their dining table.
Barry told the court that she had never told her father about the relationship with Pistorius before her death. He said he had no contact with Pistorius, except through legal teams, but that he and June had declined the opportunity to speak with him.
Barry then explained that the reason for Pistorius giving the family a monthly payment since Steenkamp's death was because they were in dire financial straits. The family was also promised that the arrangement - sorted out by Pistorius's lawyers on recommendation by their own - was going to be private and confidential.
However, he said he was "disgusted" that defence advocate Barry Roux brought it up during trial proceedings in 2014.
When asked about an image of his daughter's body shown during trial, Barry then said he wanted the world to see the wounds inflicted on his daughter, so they could see the pain she suffered.
Barry said he hoped this would discourage others from committing similar crimes.
He also addressed critics who said his wife did not show grief in court. "I hear her at night. I hear her cry," he said.
In cross-examination, Roux said he would rather argue to the court than deal with Barry directly.
The advocate then apologised to the father for any conduct in court.
In response to Roux suggesting that his client would like to speak with the Steenkamp family, Barry said: "The time will come when I want to talk to Oscar, not now."
In re-examination, Nel asked about defence witness Dr Jonathan Scholtz, who said the Steenkamp family had forgiven Pistorius.
"June is also a Christian... June has forgiven, she feels it's right in her heart to forgive Oscar... It still does not exonerate you from the crime you committed... So that she can carry on with her life," Barry responded.
"It's been very difficult for me, my lady, to forgive, but I feel the same that Oscar has to pay for what he did."
"We will go by the decision that court hands down to Oscar, but he has to pay for his crime," he concluded.
The Star