Henke Pistorius reflects on the Reeva Steenkamp tragedy and defends his son Oscar.
Image: Antoine de Ras
"In raising Oscar, the qualities that I tried to instill in him were all learned successfully," Henke Pistorius, the father of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, told IOL.
Pistorius, 72, spoke with quiet conviction about the values he tried to pass on to his son, brushing aside years of judgment and speculation that followed their family since the night that would change their lives forever.
"Oscar is a quality, quality man. He is a man with his life ahead of him," he added.
Reeva Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, was shot dead in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013 at Pistorius's Pretoria home.
The athlete fired four shots through a locked bathroom door, killing the 29-year-old who was inside.
He later claimed he believed an intruder had broken into the house.
On judgment from the community, he said he does not pay attention to those who may have opinions.
"I wouldn't even have noticed if the perception from the community has changed because of Oscar, because it doesn't really matter. What people think is something that's out of my hands, and if they can think whatever they want to think without the facts."
Instead, his focus has shifted to faith and work, elements he believes help him move forward.
"My faith is something that is an integral part of everything that I do in life," he said.
He revealed that he is now pouring his energy into an ambitious agricultural venture centred on moringa, a plant widely valued for its health benefits and environmental impact.
"The product that we're talking about is moringa. And the mission is to plant 44 million trees and intercrop other plants, which will be planted as well, and complement the attributes of moringa in health and in carbon sequestration, and that kind of thing.
"I am busy with a project. The largest in Africa. So, I'll be keeping myself quite busy for the next 10 years."
Despite these new pursuits, he reflected on the tragedy that brought his family into the global spotlight: the death of Reeva.
After years of dramatic court battles and appeals, Pistorius was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to 13 years and five months behind bars.
Oscar was granted parole in late 2023 and released from prison in January 2024 after serving more than half his sentence, returning to live quietly under strict parole conditions.
Pistorius also revealed a little-known encounter with the late father of Reeva, Barry Steenkamp — a brief, awkward moment in a courthouse bathroom that never turned into the difficult conversation he hoped for.
"I once spoke to Mr. Steenkamp while we were at the court. We have never met afterwards, and of course he died," Pistorius recalled.
"I just met him at the toilets, and I said to him, we should discuss this tragedy, but it never happened."
The moment, brief and deeply uncomfortable, passed without the conversation ever taking place — leaving two fathers connected by the same devastating event but separated by circumstances that could not easily be bridged.
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