SA's 'top detective' takes over Oscar case
2013-02-21 17:29
Pretoria - The national police commissioner has appointed the country's "top detective" as the new lead investigator in the Oscar Pistorius murder case.
Pistorius faces a murder charge relating to the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The decision came after it emerged the initial investigator, Hilton Botha, was facing attempted murder charges.
General Riah Phiyega says Lieutenant General Vinesh Moonoo will take over the investigation.
Phiyega says the Pistorius case "shall receive attention at the national level" and Moonoo will "gather a team of highly skilled and experienced detectives".
She says Moonoo is the police's "top detective".
Botha's future in charge of the investigation into world-famous athlete Pistorius came into doubt after charges of attempted murder were reinstated against him in relation to a 2011 shooting incident, when he and two other police officers allegedly fired shots at a taxi.
Visit News24's Oscar Pistorius Special Report.
- AP
