Pretoria – When the uncle of Paralympian athlete Oscar Pistorius was asked how his nephew was doing, he said: “It is a living hell”.
Arnold Pistorius spoke to Rapport following his nephew’s release on R1m bail on Friday.
The athlete has been charged with murder following the death of his girlfriend model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day at his home in Silver Woods estate.
Thousands of messages of support have apparently been sent to Pistorius in which people told of their belief in his version of events and that the truth would prevail about what happened on the fateful night when Steenkamp was shot four times.
After Pistorius was granted bail, reporters chased after him in the family car, at speeds of 210km/h in scenes reminiscent of the chase that led to Princess Diana’s fatal car crash in Paris in 1997.
“Not since cameras in a helicopter followed OJ Simpson when police chased him in his white Ford Bronco, was a developing case against a murder suspect followed so closely, moment for moment,” said Tim Butcher in The Telegraph.
Pistorius’s life has undergone a dramatic change since he was arrested for murder.
He has lost sponsorships to the tune of millions of rands and his legal fees of the past week will run to about R700 000, a legal expert estimated.
Journalists have set up camp outside the house of Pistorius’s uncle and were given grapes and energy drinks.