SA grapples with Pistorius murder charge
2013-02-16 07:24
Pretoria - South Africans grappled with disappointment,
shock - and even nausea - as sports hero Oscar Pistorius appeared in court on
Friday for murdering his girlfriend.
"I'm just shocked at the moment, like did he really
do it? Because the kind of person we thought he was from what we saw on TV was
something different," Lunga Mubuza, 18, told AFP in Pretoria where the
runner lives.
"He was one of my role models. I wished one day I
could be like him," he added. "But now, it's really a
disappointment."
Revered as a hero at home, Pistorius is seen globally as
an inspiration after being the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics
in London 2012.
The explosive news of his arrest on Valentine's Day for
killing his model and law graduate girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was followed by
Friday's court appearance in Pretoria.
Police have distanced themselves from early reports that
Steenkamp may have been accidentally shot after being mistaken for a burglar at
his home, and prosecutors plan to try the murder as premeditated.
"I was very saddened by what I heard," said
Casper Snyders, outside a parade of shops in the capital, which lies north of
Johannesburg.
"It was disbelief but perhaps as the story went, the
implication is there that he might be guilty. And I feel very sorry for her
family, for his family and for Oscar himself."
Another passerby polled by AFP, Charntel Paile, said the
icon should be held accountable if guilty of the killing.
"Everything has a consequence so if he murdered her
he should pay the price for murder," she said.
The news of the Paralympian champion's arrest dominated
headlines on Friday, knocking a state address by President Jacob Zuma out of
the day's top news spot in several newspapers.
The Citizen newspaper used the headline "Blade
Gunner?" in a reference to his artificial legs.
Speaking a few hours after Pistorius appeared in court,
Emilie Rakau said the matter was a "huge blow".
"I looked up to the guy. He's such a hero in our
country. A lot of people don't do what he does, and he stood up and did
it."
Another man, Quentin Smith, said "it's a horrible
shock for everybody".
"Like my mum also said, she feels nauseous the whole
day. I had goose bumps when I heard it on the radio," he said.
Steenkamp was gunned down in Pistorius's home in an
upscale secure housing estate in the city.
Visit News24's Oscar Pistorius Special Report.
