Oscar’s charity work under fire

Oscar Pistorius speaks to lawyer Barry Roux and an unidentified member of his legal team before his sentencing hearing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday. Photo: Herman Verwey

Oscar Pistorius speaks to lawyer Barry Roux and an unidentified member of his legal team before his sentencing hearing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday. Photo: Herman Verwey

Published Oct 14, 2014

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Pretoria - Oscar Pistorius's charitable work came under scrutiny on Tuesday as his sentencing proceedings continue into their second day.

On Monday, Pistorius's manager Peet van Zyl told the High Court of Pistorius's numerous philanthropic efforts across a multitude of charities, and how the athlete's running career had ground to a halt. Van Zyl confirmed that all of Pistorius's contracts had been terminated since the death of Reeva Steenkamp.

Van Zyl is the third witness called by the athlete's defence team to try and convince Judge Thokozile Masipa to give Pistorius a lenient sentence, who was found guilty of culpable homicide in September.

On Tuesday morning, prosecutor Gerrie Nel began his cross-examination of Van Zyl by asking about his role as Pistorius's manager.

Van Zyl told the court he was responsible for representing Pistorius and managing his money by organising sponsorships and ensuring that his income is invested correctly.

Nel argued that most sportsman contribute to charity, implying it should not be a mitigating factor in Pistorius' sentencing as it was common practice among celebrities and sportsmen to use charities as a marketing tool.

Van Zyl admitted this was correct, as it often gave a global platform to such people.

Nel said that it would be a terrible career move to turn down charity organisations like Unicef.The manager acknowledged this, but added it was also a way for athletes to give back to the community.

Nel then asked if Van Zyl perceived Pistorius as a “victim”, because he could no longer be an inspirational figure because of his murder trial.

Van Zyl initially hesitated, but said that Pistorius could only blame himself for what happened to Steenkamp, and that he was not a victim.

However, he had earlier - in the document before court - blamed the media and the State for ruining some of Pistorius's possible chances to continue his charity work and other business opportunities.

Nel argued that the main points of the shooting were correct when reported, and that it didn't make sense to blame the media when it was the athlete himself who killed someone.

He also said the State was doing its job by prosecuting Pistorius.

Van Zyl recanted his argument about the State, and reiterated he was not trying to paint Pistorius as a victim.

Nel then asked about the honorary doctorate Pistorius had received for his work with researchers on improving prosthetics technology. He said that in court Van Zyl had indicated the doctorate was given for work Pistorius did on prothetic limbs with Strathclyde University. Nel said that the document before court instead showed that the doctorate had been given for Pistorius’s overall sporting achievements.

Nel also argued that at other events that were run by his sponsors, Pistorius was obligated to attend such events to ensure good business relations.

On Monday, Van Zyl confirmed that he had made a conscious decision to not discuss Pistorius's future career plans until the end of the trial.

While he was unable to answer if Pistorius wished to continue his career as an athlete, Van Zyl said that he would consult with him if he chose to do so.

However, he added that something that was dear to the athlete's heart was the idea of starting his own charity organisation to leave a lasting legacy.

In his re-examination of Van Zyl, defence advocate Barry Roux said an impression was being created that Pistorius was obligated to commit to his charity work as a sports star.

Van Zyl said this was not the case, as Pistorius would make himself available outside of such events to help others, especially disabled children where "he went the extra mile".

He also said Pistorius's planned foundation was also his own plan to "give people the gift of mobility".

He also noted an incident where Pistorius chose to donate his appearance fee to a child to pay for prosthetics.

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