Reeva Steenkamps mother June tells of sad Christmas without her daughter Oscar Pistorius has begun a five year sentence for killing Reeva Steenkamp but for her adoring mother June, the pain of losing her daughter in such horrific circumstances will never end ON Christmas Day this year, my husband Barry and I will be staying with my niece in a country cottage by a stream, where wild horses come to drink. Its a place my daughter Reeva would have loved, but of course she wont be with us this year – or ever again. As the world knows, my beautiful girl was taken from us on Valentines Day 2013, shot dead by the man she was dating, Oscar Pistorius, the South African runner known as Blade Runner. So while we will raise a glass to Reeva on Christmas Day, for us there will be no celebration – our pain is still too raw. Our nightmare began early on the morning of February 14 2013, Valentines Day. The phone rang and a policeman asked: Are you Mrs Steenkamp? Do you have a daughter? Then he said Theres been a shooting accident. I said Youd better tell me right away if shes alive or dead and he said I am sorry. There and then my world shattered. My Reeva. My baby – gone, aged just 29. I was hysterical. It didnt seem possible that the loveliest person who ever lived, was gone. I was 37 when Reeva was born. I have another daughter Simone, who I had when I was just 19, but I called Reeva my late lamb. Me and my husband Barry were besotted with her. She was a beautiful child, but she was a real tomboy, too. She rode her pony from the age of two, when she was eight she wrote to Father Christmas asking for some cars for her garage. She didnt want Barbies, she loved animals and the outdoors. She loved school, and afterwards she went straight to university and got her law degree. She worked hard at everything she did. But although she was also totally committed to her modelling career what she really wanted was to be an advocate and campaigner for womens rights. She could have done so much to help other women. I dont like it when people refer to her as Oscar Pistoriuss girlfriend, as I dont think she was ever that. It was hardly a love story, was it? I dont believe she ever slept with him. You dont talk about things like that to a mother, but it is an instinct I have, a feeling. She said they were just fighting all the time, I believe she was set to leave him. When they read the messages between her and Pistorius in court, it was like hearing her voice. It was like she was there as a witness, giving her own testimony. I dont believe his story about thinking she was a burglar. There are too many pieces of the puzzle missing. I think an argument escalated into something dreadful. But only he knows the truth, and he is never going to tell, because then hell go to jail for another twenty years. When Barry and I have nightmares – it is the same. About her being in tremendous pain and so scared – what a horrible way to die. It torments us. Initially, we had to take money from Pistorious - but it was just to survive to pay our rent. My husband was chopping wood to make money, we had nothing, we were really battling. But we are paying all that money back. They made another offer during the settlement, but I said I couldnt take that, that is blood money. Reeva was priceless. Nothing will ease our pain but we are trying to make something positive out of our devastating loss by setting up the Reeva Steenkamp Foundation for Abused Women. The plan is to build shelters for women so they can take their children, escape their abusers and build new lives. Reeva would have loved that. As for him, well he went down those steps to jail and I thought He is going to pay now for what he has done. But really I dont care what happens to him - if he gets five years or 25 years it isnt going to bring Reeva back. He has taken away her life – her career, her wedding day, the babies she would have had – the grandchildren I would have doted on. Since Reeva died, I wear her clothes – it helps me feel close to her. I have a necklace of freshwater pearls that she bought me when she was twelve – she saved up to pay for that and I treasure it. We had a pact that if one of us died, the other would send a message to say that they are okay, and since she has been gone, I see white feathers everywhere I go. I am sure they are a message from her. I would love to get a feather on Christmas day – that would be very special. But people are very kind. I have had letters from around the world. Some monks in Ireland wrote to say they have dedicated a whole year of prayer for her soul to rest in peace. But I know she is with God. She was an angel when she was here, and she is a proper angel now.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 18:24:33 +0000
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