During most of last week I had been yelled at, shoved around, scolded like a child or just plain ignored…and that’s only if I was lucky!
Ever since the news broke that Paralympic athlete and International icon Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on 14 February at his home in Pretoria, everyone wanted a piece of him.
Local and international media flocked to the Pretoria Magistrates Court and Brooklyn police station were he was being detained and millions over the world have been following the story in newspapers, on TV and over the radio. The media had spoken, and the public made their verdict…
For four days I sat in a stuffy, overcrowded courtroom, on hard wooden benches or even on the floor, stretching to get a glimpse of the Golden Boy. For a whole week I had to fight my way past bulky camera men who didn’t care if I got hit in the face with a lens or stepped on by a giant boot. I had to defend myself against smooth talking international press, with funny accents and no clue about our legal system (sorry guys, but it’s true) and I had to wait in court for hours on end without being able to go to the bathroom, afraid of losing my hard earned seat!
But it was all worth it every time the magistrate said “All rise” and I saw Oscar walking through the door, neatly clad in a dark blue suite and light blue shirt, staring dully in to space, as if nothing mattered any more. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t draw pleasure out of his suffering. I too shed a tear when he started crying miserably in court when a statement was read out about how much Reeva loved him. But it made the whole experience so real and I realised I was witnessing first hand history being made.
I saw his brother lightly placing his hand on Oscar’s shoulder every time the emotions got out of hand. I saw his father put on a brave face as he placed his straw hat on his head and prepared to face the media and I saw his sister giving cameramen the evil eye every time they snapped a shot of Oscar.
The decision on whether Oscar Pistorius is guilty or not, is not ours to make. He is an international icon who, despite all odds against him, has proven himself worthy.
Let’s see if he can make the scale tip in his favour one last time…
