Reeva Steenkamp's family reacts to Oscar Pistorius' Concourt ruling
The family of Reeva Steenkamp has expressed faith in the country's justice system ahead of Oscar Pistorius being re-sentenced on a charge of murder.
Jacaranda FM News spoke to Reeva's uncle, Mike, who said the situation was now out of their hands. This was in response to Thursday evening's news that the Constitutional Court dismissed Pistorius application to appeal his murder conviction.
The court found the appeal would have had no prospect of success.
The former Paralympic athlete was initially convicted of culpable homicide after he shot and killed Steenkamp on Valentine's Day three years ago. However, the State took the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), and in December the court ruled he should be found guilty of murder instead.
Pistorius applied to have the ruling reviewed by the Constitutional Court, but the court's decision has now left Pistorius with no legal room in which to manoeuvre.
Mike Steenkamp appealed to Pistorius to accept his situation. "We have no animosity against him... It has now come to the stage where he has to face up the circumstances of his future."
He urged all South Africans to make use of firearms as a last resort. He said "what Pistorius did in his anger was a terrible mistake." Steenkamp added that nothing will ever bring Reeva back again "and [Pistorius] has to live with that".
Reeva's mother June would probably not attend the sentencing proceedings on April 18, according to Steenkamp, as she was more focused on Reeva's foundation and speaking about the scourge of women abuse.
He said the family will promote Reeva's legacy through the foundation. Speaking about his brother Barry, Reeva's father, Steenkamp said he believed there was a sense of closure after the 3-year long ordeal and that every day was a step forward.
In closing, he again stressed that they were not angry.
"We have let that pass," he said, and added that they leave the sentencing for the court.
"At this stage we are not going to get emotionally involved and we are not going to get tied-up and I think that would be the wrong thing if we start making-up assumptions about the [outcome]."
READ: June Steenkamp launches Reeva Foundation
Edited by Marius van der Walt