- Samantha Jonker, 39, said Oscar Pistorius ‘had literally got away with murder’
- She grew up with Reeva Steenkamp in the Eastern Cape town of Port Elizabeth
One of murdered Reeva Steenkamp’s best friends and confidants has slammed the decision to release her killer Oscar Pistorius after serving less than half his sentence.
Samantha Jonker, who was at school with the slain model and a life-long friend, said The Blade Runner ‘had literally got away with murder.’
Ms Jonker, 39, who grew up with Reeva in the Eastern Cape town of Port Elizabeth, spoke out as anti-violence campaigners spoke out against the release of the former athlete who ran in the London 2012 Olympics.
She told MailOnline: ‘What message is South Africa sending to allow a murderer such leniency in taking the life of a woman or child.
‘He should be the one behind a locked door for the rest of his life. It should be a life for a life.
‘In prison, he was given his own private room with a television, his own private area to exercise in, he had privileges other criminals were never warranted.
‘Why does one murderer get rewarded. He stole everything from her and her loved ones by the heinous choice he made that fatal day that will haunt me forever.
‘He shot her not once, but four times through a locked bathroom door. I know my Reeva. If she was in a safe home, she would feel no reason to lock herself behind a door.
‘I still sit and think about what she must have been feeling in that moment behind that locked door all alone.
‘I remember Reeva every day. I have a picture of Reeva in my home that I look at every day.
‘I listen to the same video of Reeva when I miss her and need to hear her voice. Her death has left a huge gap in my life and I cannot seem to forgive him for what he chose to do.’
Reeva, who was 29, was shot dead by Pistorius on Valentine’s Day 2013 inside his Pretoria flat. He gunned her down through a toilet door and claimed it was an accident as he believed an intruder had entered his home.
But after a year of protracted court hearings his conviction of culpable homicide was changed to murder. Instead of life, he was punished with a 13-and-a-half-year sentence.
Ms Jonker, 39, who is now based in Berlin, first met Reeva at the St Dominic’s Priory in Port Elizabeth at the age of 11.
She added: ‘I remember the first day Reeva walked into my classroom. She lit up the room when she walked in.
‘I fell in love with her in that moment. She sat down in the desk in front of me and that was her seat for the rest of our primary school years. We became best friends from that day on.
‘She was so gentle, so kind, so loving, so supportive and understanding. I always found myself laughing her.
‘I could share anything with her and never felt judged. I only felt loved. I remember this one day when we were about 11 or 12 years old. We were each others freshwater lifesaving partners and we had an exam on one of the coldest and rainiest days.
‘ I didn’t want to go through with the exam. I was crying and Reeva kept motivating me to continue and pushed me to finish and we passed the exam together.
‘After the exam we were sitting by the side of the pool on a bench in our towels. I was still upset and Reeva managed to take the situation and turn it around and the next minute we were both laughing so hard that our stomachs hurt and we both had tears streaming down our face from joy.
‘There is a saying, “a best friend is someone who can make you laugh, even when you feel like crying”.
‘Reeva was the bestest friend a girl like me could have ever ask for. Our friendship continued throughout high school and further on. Even though we lived apart, we always kept in contact. She never missed wishing me on my birthday.’
Anti-violence campaigners also hit out at Pistorius’s freedom which has come with strict parole conditions.
Bulelwa Adonis of South Africa’s Women for Change group said the fact that Pistorius had not admitted the murder proved that accountability had not been accepted by him on his release.
She told MailOnline: ‘We are deeply saddened by his release.
‘We are thankful that he did actually serve time time, because in our country, most predators don’t serve any time whatsoever.
‘We are completely disheartened, to say the least, because our country has become a safe haven and we have adopted a mentality of leniency towards predators and anyone who commits gender-based violence or femicide.’
She said the fact that Pretorius had strict parole conditions imposed on him did not ‘mean much to us.’
She added: ‘At the end of the day Pistorius is somebody who took a life and the loved ones of Reeva will never get their time with her again.
‘We actually have one of the best legislations in the world. Our rights and all of that is absolutely phenomenal. But it has no reflection on reality.
‘In fact, reality is the exact opposite to say the least because gender-based violence and femicide are increasing.’
She revealed latest figures from South African police showed that last year 3,914 women were murdered during the 12 months before March 2023 and 12 women are murdered on a daily basis in the country.
‘Those statistics alone paint a perfect picture of the reality here in South Africa. We are also known as the rape capital of the world and rapes are five times higher than the global average.
‘Oscar is going to get help with anger management and rehabilitation, and all of these things, but I think accountability is a big thing which we stress on as an organisation and we do not think justice has been served in his case.’
Deeply-committed Christian Pistorius spent his second day of freedom hiding in his uncle Arnold’s mansion which will be his home until the end of his sentence at the end of the decade.
He did not venture out as rain lashed the affluent Waterkloof neighbourhood outside Pretoria and has yet to be seen in public.
A neighbour said: ‘Oscar needs some peace and quiet. He has been through a lot. I know he’ll be reading his bible for much of his time.’
The gun-fanatic has been allowed out on parole until December 2029 and must adhere to a number of conditions set down by Atterridgeville Correction Services officials.
He has to undergo a course of ‘anger management’ to help him cope with his fierce temper which prosecutors said led him to kill Reeva.
He is barred from drinking alcohol and handling any weapons and must inform his parole officers of his whereabouts and remain at his Uncle Arnold’s home during set hours.
Pistorius has been banned from giving media interviews which will come as a further blow as major US talk shows were hoping to line him up as a star guest.
Pistorius’s successful bid to run in the London 2012 Olympics made him a huge star in America and a poster boy for Paralympians.
The Blade Runner may take a mundane job to fill his parole hours and the idea of the deeply religious man to be a preacher has also been mooted.
His wealthy uncle Arnold owns a successful real estate company called Twin Towers and has an office suite in a complex a few minutes from his home.
Arnold has promised law officials he will keep a tight check on The Blade Runner, who has prosthetic legs, and ensure he meets his bail conditions.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
