Oscar Pistorius trial: Paralympian mobbed by fans outside Pretoria's High Court ahead of murder trial evidence
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Oscar Pistorius was greeted with cheers from a group of fans as he returned to the witness stand to give evidence about the fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp.
A group of supporters, mostly women, stood outside Pretoria's High Court with messages of support and white balloons for the athlete, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. They held signs with the words: Ozzy we love you and pray for you.
"We support him as a human being, and we are here because we just want to let him know that he is not alone in this whole matter," supporter Ronel Du Toit told the Daily Telegraph. "There are people who do believe in his innocence - that it was a mistake and also to show sympathy to the Steenkamps."
Another female fan, Rika Bothma told News 24 she was disappointed by the media coverage of the murder trial because it is "too negative" and was saddened to see "how people have turned their back" on Pistorius, once a national hero in South Africa.
They applauded as he entered the North Gauteng High Court followed by his sister, Aimee Pistorius. In a bizarre scene, one of his fans grabbed his hand while another planted a kiss on his cheek. The athlete later stopped to sign an autograph for a fan thanking her for her love and support as he left court.
He was driven away in his silver Land Rover, his face held visibly in his hands behind the frosted glass following a dramatic cross-examination session in which state prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused him of lying and tailoring his evidence to fit his version of events in the run-up to Ms Steenkamp's death.
Pistorius denies murdering Ms Steenkamp, claiming he shot and killed her in a case of mistaken identity thinking she was an intruder after he heard the noise of a "window sliding open" and a door slamming, which convinced him someone had entered his gated community mansion in Pretoria.
The state argues he shot and killed the 29-year old model and law graduate following a domestic dispute in the early hours of 14 February.
The case continues.