“Your smile will see us again. God will heal what hurts. Stand strong as you remain my golden boy. You are one in a million.”
This is one of several messages on social media from all over the world last week from members of the Support for Oscar group.
The Paralympic gold medallist returned to jail for a second time a year ago, on 6 July, to start serving his six-year jail term for the Valentine’s Day 2013 killing of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
While Correctional Services said Oscar was doing well in jail and adjusting to his circumstances, his advocate, Barry Roux, in papers filed with the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein, said the looming appeal by the State against Oscar’s “lenient” six-year term for murder is “hanging like a sword over his head”.
The SCA ordered that it would hear oral argument in this regard but the matter has been dragging for nearly a year now.
Officials said it may be heard towards the end of this year.
Oscar will have to remain behind bars for at least another two years before he can be considered for parole.
He killed Reeva when he fired four shots into the toilet door of his Pretoria East mansion, and told the court he thought she was an intruder.
Oscar will turn 30 on 22 November behind bars.