Gun comments split 'Blade Runner's family
Source: Agencies |
March 6, 2013, Wednesday
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A remarkably public feud erupted yesterday within the family of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee "Blade Runner" charged with murdering his girlfriend, as he and his relatives distanced themselves from comments his father reportedly made about guns and crime in South Africa.
South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, also waded into the family dispute. A spokesman for the party accused Henke Pistorius, the runner's father, of racism for his observations reported in British newspapers about crime against white South Africans and the suggestion that the ANC government isn't adequately protecting them.
The Pistorius family and the reputation management firm it has hired are working to head off any negative publicity or controversy that might possibly have a bearing on the outcome of the runner's case, which could see him jailed for life if convicted of premeditated murder.
They quickly issued a statement early yesterday morning saying the family "is deeply concerned" about the father's interview that "doesn't represent the views of Oscar or the rest of the Pistorius family."
The Telegraph and Mirror newspapers quoted Henke Pistorius as saying the family owns handguns for self-defense. Two years ago, Police Minister Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa said the country of 49 million people had 1.7 million registered firearm owners holding 2.9 million guns.
Oscar Pistorius had a police license for the 9 mm pistol with which he shot Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day. The gun collectors' club, the Lowveld Firearm Collectors Association which the runner joined last April, said Pistorius also owned but hadn't yet licensed six other firearms for his gun collection.
South Africa's Beeld newspaper reported that the runner's father, three uncles and grandfather also own 55 firearms between them, ranging from handguns to rifles.
"Some of the guns are for hunting and some are for protection, the hand guns," the Telegraph quoted Henke Pistorius as saying. "It speaks to the ANC government, look at white crime levels, why protection is so poor in this country, it's an aspect of our society."
"You can't rely on the police, not because they are inefficient always but because crime is so rife," the father told the paper.
It said he had never used a gun in self-defense, but added: "That doesn't mean I haven't been hijacked, attacked. As a family, we value life much too much to produce guns at every opportunity we can use them."
"I have been in positions where I can use a gun but we have been brought up in a way that we value the lives of others very highly," he said.
Prosecutors charged Oscar with premeditated murder for killing Steenkamp, saying the shooting followed an argument between the two. Oscar said he mistook the 29-year-old model for a home intruder, fired shots at the door of his toilet and then discovered she was inside.
South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, also waded into the family dispute. A spokesman for the party accused Henke Pistorius, the runner's father, of racism for his observations reported in British newspapers about crime against white South Africans and the suggestion that the ANC government isn't adequately protecting them.
The Pistorius family and the reputation management firm it has hired are working to head off any negative publicity or controversy that might possibly have a bearing on the outcome of the runner's case, which could see him jailed for life if convicted of premeditated murder.
They quickly issued a statement early yesterday morning saying the family "is deeply concerned" about the father's interview that "doesn't represent the views of Oscar or the rest of the Pistorius family."
The Telegraph and Mirror newspapers quoted Henke Pistorius as saying the family owns handguns for self-defense. Two years ago, Police Minister Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mthethwa said the country of 49 million people had 1.7 million registered firearm owners holding 2.9 million guns.
Oscar Pistorius had a police license for the 9 mm pistol with which he shot Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day. The gun collectors' club, the Lowveld Firearm Collectors Association which the runner joined last April, said Pistorius also owned but hadn't yet licensed six other firearms for his gun collection.
South Africa's Beeld newspaper reported that the runner's father, three uncles and grandfather also own 55 firearms between them, ranging from handguns to rifles.
"Some of the guns are for hunting and some are for protection, the hand guns," the Telegraph quoted Henke Pistorius as saying. "It speaks to the ANC government, look at white crime levels, why protection is so poor in this country, it's an aspect of our society."
"You can't rely on the police, not because they are inefficient always but because crime is so rife," the father told the paper.
It said he had never used a gun in self-defense, but added: "That doesn't mean I haven't been hijacked, attacked. As a family, we value life much too much to produce guns at every opportunity we can use them."
"I have been in positions where I can use a gun but we have been brought up in a way that we value the lives of others very highly," he said.
Prosecutors charged Oscar with premeditated murder for killing Steenkamp, saying the shooting followed an argument between the two. Oscar said he mistook the 29-year-old model for a home intruder, fired shots at the door of his toilet and then discovered she was inside.
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