General Discussion Thread #2

[shane13]

Lol, I don't believe them!!! Over 2 weeks and no one bothered to tell Botha the charges were reinstated?? 7 attempted murder charges? I call bull shyte!!

Well said. Bull shyte indeed.
I was talking about the top brass. All the points I raised taken together makes things clear.

 

[Carol70]

It was less than one week, wasn't it Carol?

Nope, he committed the murder on the 14th and Botha testified on the 20th.
Charges apparently reinstated on the 4th. That's 2 weeks and 2 days to be precise.

 

[Estelle]

Nope, he committed the murder on the 14th and Botha testified on the 20th.
Charges apparently reinstated on the 4th. That's 2 weeks and 2 days to be precise.

Sorry Carol, I was counting from the day of the murder! In other words, when they heard he was in charge of the OP investigation, why didn't they act then at least? I guess it was too late.

 

[shane13]

It appears to me that there is the possibility that OP had what is called an allergy-addiction to caffeine.

"He couldn’t sleep – perhaps unsurprisingly given his caffeine pills and coffee diet."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-pad-explosive-rages-procession-blondes-.html

Instead of looking for exotic dugs or such, OP may well have had a caffeine problem. (People can look up allergy-addiction syndrome.)

Fascinating that that article indicated his breakfeast was mainly coffee instead of a very nutritious meal. One wonders if his running would have been even better if he ate and drank differently.

Some people are highly over-reactive when on caffeine. But there is a severe withdrawal effect from it, that many people never go through. I think caffeine is the world's #1 addiction--coffee, tea, cola.

No excuse of course for murder. But it may have shaped his behavior including given to jealous rage.

 

[Estelle]

The Steenkamp family have hired a private investigator to help them monitor the case and continue to remind the world about the victim in this tragedy.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20130225/oscar-pistorius-update/#ixzz2LzhIEep9

 

[otyikondo]

Thank you Carol70 for sharing your insight on what's happening in your part of the world. I, for one, really appreciate it, as I read through the different reports and news items on this case.

Have you heard any discussion about where, inside or outside, OP's 2 dogs were that night?

Hear, hear! It is quite invaluable, not simply because one assumes you have access to news media that is considerably closer to the story than papers such as the British-based and startlingly lowbrow Daily Mail, but also because by your very location you have a refreshingly different perspective on what people in the country are thinking about the case, for instance in how they see OP's semi-"survivalist" attitude towards firearms and defending his property.

Any and all opinion and editorial pieces in the more serious South African print press will be at least as valuable (and probably a great deal more so) than the spectacular "trial by media" that the UK press tries to run 4,000 miles away. Keep them coming!

I don't think anyone is in any doubt that this case has major political ramifications. Numerous articles have already pointed out how it has put South African society squarely in the frame along with the fallen icon Pistorius himself, and the involvement of the ANC and the ANCWL in the trial going forward will be something to keep an eye on.


Doubtless the dogs will soon be interviewed by the National Enquirer for their views on Oscar's mental health. He'd better hope he fed them regularly.

 

[Estelle]

South African Law: "There is no equivalent to the "crime of passion" under the country's law and premeditation in this case means prosecutors believe that the accused shot his girlfriend more than once and with enough time to decide that he meant to kill her."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...es-and-spin-surround-reeva-death-8500370.html

Apparently, only in France is a crime of passionnel, or crime of passion, a legally recognised defence.

 

[Estelle]

GUN CONTROL

In fact, South Africa might provide some of the strongest evidence that gun control can make a difference.

Tougher limits on gun ownership took effect in 2004, and since then the number of gun-related crimes has dropped by 21 per cent.

And this decrease is not merely because of a general decline in crime in South Africa. One study of female victims, by the country’s Medical Research Council, found that gun-related deaths had dropped by nearly half from 1999 to 2009, while other causes of violent death were virtually unchanged.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/w...as-gun-culture/article8663417/?service=mobile

 

[whiterum]

According to the press conference on the day botha was pulled, the charges although reinstated on Feb4 did not filter down

Vinesh Moonoo Replaces Hilton Botha As Lead Detective In Oscar Pistorius Casel

<snip>

I heard this being said in an interview on TV with two SA correspondents.

The most extraordinary thing in this case is that of the NPA, is of the prosecuting team not having been formed by the Director of public prosecutions. I know there is a huge amount of anger and anxiety from the prosecution quarter that these charges against Botha were reinstated on the 4th February, 10 days before Reeva died , although he wasn't served papers , the NPA were clearly aware of this, 10 days before she died.

So for Gerrie Nel and Johnston ? ( not sure of name) to walk into a situation where they were literally going in with a bomb. They have Botha getting a grilling and crumbling and then these charges against him putting the state under the spotlight rather than OP. Makes you wonder was there some foul play here, is there something suspicious about the timing of Botha being served with papers, taking the limelight of OP and reflecting it on the so- called ineptitude of the police.

IMO , Seems to me that they were basically implying that the prosecution team were set up to be discredited by the NPA.

 

[Estelle]

HOUSE IN ITALY


Balindile Mthembu

"Oscar Pistolrius seems to be in trouble with the mayor of Gemona in Italy. He lied in Sarie magazine and said the mayor gave him a house.
Mayor of Gemona in Italy is reportedly considering legal action against Oscar. Seems like there's a lot that this lunatic lies about.
And Oscar's forever vocal uncle and spin-doctor Arnold has been rather mute; even the lawyers have been quiet about Oscar's property scandal."

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oscar-Pistorius/44198900547

An addition to this piece above is this: MORE LIES

Oscar vs mayor

TJ STRYDOM | 26 February, 2013 00:345

The mayor of the Italian town that allegedly built Paralympian champion and murder accused Oscar Pistorius a house and purpose-built sporting facilities is considering legal action, although it is not clear whether it would be against the sports star.

Speaking exclusively to The Times, Paolo Urbani, mayor of Gemona del Friuli, a town with a population of about 11000 in the northeast of Italy, said the claims were "completely baseless".

A magazine interview with Pistorius creates the opposite impression.

LIE ONE: "I have for the past two years had a house in Gemona, Italy. I stay there for four months a year because it is where I practise," Pistorius was quoted as saying in the Afrikaans magazine Sarie's February edition.

Urbani and his office strongly denied the assertion yesterday, saying it was "not true that the mayor has offered or built him a house". The mayor said as far as he knew, Pistorius did not have a house in that town at all.

Pistorius had said in the interview: "My house is nestled in the mountains, where it is quiet and peaceful."

But Urbani said every time Pistorius visited the town, he booked into a hotel.

LIE TWO: He said claims that a track and gymnasium had been built specifically for Pistorius were also not true.

"When in Gemona, Pistorius trains at the municipal sports centre built a few decades ago," Urbani said.

Van Zyl said the facilities were not built from scratch but that major upgrades were carried out on them for the benefit of both Pistorius and the town.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2013/02/26/oscar-vs-mayor

 

[otyikondo]

South African Law: "There is no equivalent to the "crime of passion" under the country's law and premeditation in this case means prosecutors believe that the accused shot his girlfriend more than once and with enough time to decide that he meant to kill her."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...es-and-spin-surround-reeva-death-8500370.html

Apparently, only in France is a crime of passionnel, or crime of passion, a legally recognised defence.

Estelle, that quote comes from a larger article that is also worth commenting on, in the context of the media scrum that has emerged from this case, based on the minimal contempt of court powers and sub judice rules found in South Africa.

Although it is somewhat old (19.2.2013), it does feature some of the old chestnuts and puts them into context, and even describes them as what they are: "rumours and half-truths". The very headline is telling: "facts, guesses, and spin".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/trial-by-media-of-oscar-pistorius-facts-guesses-and-spin-surround-reeva-death-8500370.html

 

[shane13]

Books by Aunt Micki (Pistorius):

Skimme in Die Skadu
Profiling Serial Killers and other crimes in South Africa
Fatal Females
Strangers on the street
Catch me a killer (autobiography)

Anyone know what Skimme in Die Skadu means?

Fascinating that she claims ESP-like powers and that serial killers should not serve long sentences--good for business? (Getting them back on track to kill again so she can be brought in?)

 

[Estelle]

Reeva's online memorial

http://www.memmento.com/Memorial-at-Memmento/4373/Reeva-Steenkamp

 

[otyikondo]

Books by Aunt Micki (Pistorius):

Skimme in Die Skadu
Profiling Serial Killers and other crimes in South Africa
Fatal Females
Strangers on the street
Catch me a killer (autobiography)

Anyone know what Skimme in Die Skadu means?

Fascinating that she claims ESP-like powers and that serial killers should not serve long sentences--good for business? (Getting them back on track to kill again so she can be brought in?)

The book is merely an Afrikaans version/translation of the Catch Me a Killer autobiography, but with updates reflecting its later publication.

 

[shane13]

The book is merely an Afrikaans version/translation of the Catch Me a Killer autobiography, but with updates reflecting its later publication.

So Skimme in Die Skadu means Catch Me a Killer?

 

[shane13]

Of course if Aunt Micki really had ESP-like powers, why couldn't she predict and help her nephew?

Reminds me of the true case where police arrested a[n alleged] psychic.

When she was shocked at her arrest, they used that against her as a fraud (in the "psychic business")--as she should have known they were coming to arrest her!

 

[otyikondo]

So Skimme in Die Skadu means Catch Me a Killer?

No. I did not say that. However, it IS the title of the autobiography when it was republished some years later in Afrikaans. I'd say the title translates more closely as "Death in the Shadows", or thereabouts.

 

[Carol70]

So Skimme in Die Skadu means Catch Me a Killer?

Not directly. The direct translation is "Skimmer in the shadows"
A "skimmer" is a word used in connection with fraud.
It's a person who skims your bank card, skim means to duplicate the card with a device without your knowledge....very rife in his country. You will notice payments going through your account, withdrawals etc when your card is still in your possession.

 

[shane13]

No. I did not say that. However, it IS the title of the autobiography when it was republished some years later in Afrikaans. I'd say the title translates more closely as "Death in the Shadows", or thereabouts.

thanks

 

[shane13]

Not directly. The direct translation is "Skimmer in the shadows"
A "skimmer" is a word used in connection with fraud.
It's a person who skims your bank card, skim means to duplicate the card with a device without your knowledge....very rife in his country. You will notice payments going through your account, withdrawals etc when your card is still in your possession.

A big thanks.
Interesting title. Do you think they used it for its alliteration? Or deep meaning?