Live television broadcasts of the murder trial of South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius have taken the dramatic case into living rooms around the world and into classrooms in his home country
Oscar Pistorius
Pretoria: Live television broadcasts of the murder trial of South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius have taken the dramatic case into living rooms around the world and into classrooms in his home country.
Oscar Pistorius
When Faith Kholofelo took her exams in June she faced a question about the trial one of many students being taught legal principles through the courtroom lens.
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While adults have been quick to judge the innocence or guilt of the star sprinter, students are taught to take a more measured approach and see Pistorius as innocent until proven guilty.
Hang on...
"Teachers say we must wait until the court decides," said Kholofelo, an 18-year-old dressed in the grey and yellow school uniform of Lotus Gardens Secondary School in Pretoria, the country's administrative capital.
Pistorius, known as the 'Blade Runner' for his prosthetic legs, is charged with murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on the night of Valentine's Day last year.
The double-amputee claims he mistakenly shot Steenkamp through a locked toilet door, believing she was an intruder in his upmarket Pretoria home. Prosecutors argue that he deliberately killed the 29-year-old law graduate after an argument.
"You have the right to fight until you're found guilty or innocent," said Donnavan Fourie, a 14-year-old wearing a green tracksuit jacket with a backpack slung over his shoulder. "
Everyone has the right to a fair trial. But you have to speak the truth," said Fourie, on his way to Laerskool Boerefort in Pretoria.