Trial by media is a term often bandied about, but Oscar Pistorius’s time in the dock for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp took the concept to a whole new level. The first South African trial to be televised live, it was also discussed in minute depth on social media platforms, with journalists from every major publication present to offer their commentary and analysis to an undeniably fascinated public worldwide.
This book, co-written by Barry Bateman—the first journalist to arrive on the scene on the morning of February 14, 2013—is a natural extension of the media circus. The authors quite rightly point out that in a case in which there was no question of who fired the shots on that fateful morning, it was ‘the job of the court to find out what Oscar was thinking’. Over the course of nearly 600 pages, Bateman and Mandy Wiener give their readers as much, if not more, information than was available to Judge Masipa when she made her ruling. While they come to no definitive conclusions, they essentially extend that invitation—to find out what Pistorius was ‘really thinking’ to anyone interested enough to pick up their book.
There is no denying that the duo are some of the most qualified to offer an in-depth insight into the case. Wiener is an investigative journalist with a background in true-crime writing, while Bateman covered the case for Eyewitness News from day one, attended the court proceedings and spoke personally to the witnesses called to testify, as well as others whose testimonies were not heard by the court. Some of the most illuminating sections of the book are when Bateman speaks from his first-hand experience, describing the lack of clarity in the first hours after the shooting, the first police briefing and the events leading up to the bail hearing.
Also valuable are the new insights offered, outside of the court transcripts and information in the public domain. The revelation, uncovered by the authors’ analysis of phone records, that Pistorius was speaking to his ‘on-off’ ex-girlfriend Jenna Edkins on the evening before the shooting is explosive, as is their in-depth analysis of whether Reeva flushed the toilet, discussion of which did not figure in the official proceedings.
Details such as the fact that the defence were unable to call foreign expert witnesses due to ‘lack of funds’, or that many of the South African legal fraternity were critical of the prosecutor’s tactics and manner of cross-examination also help shed light onto the proceedings.
Yet the book falls short in its repetitions, confusing details and lengthy asides. Inevitably fast-tracked through the publishing process (it was released before even the sentencing was complete) it needs extensive editing, to make it more comprehensible for the lay person.
There are also sections in which it reads like a crime novel rather than a piece of investigative journalism, which are both jarring and somewhat disrespectful to the deceased. While graphic details were of course inevitable, it seems unnecessary to describe the autopsy as ‘Reeva’s last photo shoot’, or to voyeuristically comment on the fact that her hair, which she has apparently ‘spent hours agonising over’ was now ‘red, matted together with blood.’
While, as defence expert witness Wollie Walmarans quite rightly points out ‘what happened behind that door we will never know’, this book is more interesting for the questions it raises. Did the fact that witness testimonies were broadcast either via audio or video mean that their corroborations were suspect, as the Judge suggested in her ruling? Do those in the public domain have a higher or lower chance of a fair trial, as compared to a layperson? And was enough (if any) time devoted to exploring the implications of gun licensing, culture and control in South Africa? While none of these questions, let alone what Pistorius may or may not have been thinking as he discharged four shots at a closed toilet door, are answered, the book is valuable for asking them. With an appeal by the state imminent against the ruling of culpable homicide, a second edition is surely in the pipeline.