Nel vs Roux
S“I don’t like taking sides but this time around I think Gerrie Nel had the upper hand,” Curlewis says.
“His arguments were sound. He was to the point. He didn’t take shortcuts and backed up his arguments with the law.”
Roux, on the other hand, spent two hours of his closing argument lecturing on how the proceedings should be interpreted and criticising the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgment.
“He did nothing to assist the court in reaching a sound judgment.”
Judge Masipa was criticised after the original trial for her interpretation of the law so she’ll be making extra sure her sentencing decision is sound.
Her initial verdict – that Oscar was guilty of culpable homicide – was turned down on appeal, with the bench ruling Oscar was guilty of murder.
Curlewis says jailtime of between 10 and 14 years will be spot on. “Nobody will appeal the judgment because that would be a stupid thing to do.” Perhaps not. After sentencing is handed down both the defence and the state can apply to appeal if they aren’t satisfied.
“If the sentence is too lenient, the state might appeal, and if it’s too severe Oscar’s team may do so,” says Professor SS Terblanche, a lecturer in sentencing law at Unisa.
If any party appeals, the court will have to decide what will happen to Oscar while he waits for the case to be heard. “He could stay under house arrest or go to jail in the interim,” Terblanche says. Never has a trial in South Africa caused so much reaction on social media. Many people have lashed out – both for and against Oscar.
His brother, Carl Pistorius, received much criticism for recent posts. He closed his Twitter account – but not before he had posted a picture of his brother snoozing on a couch in his Uncle Arnold’s luxury home surrounded by his nieces and nephews.
“Emotionally spent after a day in court,” Carl tweeted.
And after the pictures of a deceased Reeva went viral, he went on Twitter to say, “This application is distasteful to all parties. Except some parties who stand to profit from such.”
The backlash from Reeva supporters that followed took him aback, a close friend of the family says. “He needs a break. He has a lot going on.”
The pictures of a bloodied, bruised Reeva went viral in a matter of hours, with people weighing in from far and wide.
“The thought of the photos from the crime scene being made available to the public just gives me goosebumps,” fashion designer and TV personality Maps Maponyane tweeted.
But many supported the release of the images. “This is the stark reality of what a young woman went through at the hands of her lover,” Rosemary Thompson wrote on Facebook after YOU published the images on you.co.za. “Although it might not be nice to see it is a warning for any woman to get out of a relationship that’s violent and abusive.”
“It must have been a hard decision for Reeva’s parents,” Angie Manser commented. “But people do need to be reminded of who the real victim is here – not her killer stumbling around on his stumps in court to try and gain sympathy from the judge. Not that man who’s mentally stable enough to interview for TV but not for court.”