Who Reeva Steenkamp really was - 'angelic' law grad with 'big life ahead'

24 November 2023 , 11:29

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Model and law student Reeva Steenkamp was tragically murdered by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius on Valentine's Day in 2013 (Image: Getty Images)

Reeva Steenkamp is remembered by her loved ones as being 'beautiful, intelligent and very inspiring' - not as the murdered girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius.

An entrepreneur committed to empowering women, Reeva had her whole life ahead of her before she was horrifically murdered 10 years ago. The 29-year-old model and law graduate was tragically shot dead by her boyfriend, Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius, on Valentine's Day in 2013.

Pistorius, now 37, was convicted of manslaughter after he claimed he thought she was an intruder. The verdict was later changed to murder, with a sentence of 13 years and five months. Today, it was announced Pistorius will be freed imminently after a decade in prison. Here, we take a look at Reeva's life, after it was devastatingly cut short before she reached 30.

Reeva was a well-known model in South Africa and had her heart set on a career in law (AP)

The 29-year-old was described as 'inspiring, kind, sweet and angelic' by her loved ones (Getty Images)

Reeva was one of FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World for two years running, appeared in international and South African advertisements and was a celebrity contestant on Tropika Island of Treasure, a South African reality show. Her publicist Sarit Tomlinson said she was "continuously breaking the model stereotype" and was "the sweetest, kindest, just angelic soul". She also said that Reeva was "a very inspiring individual, very passionate about speaking about women and empowerment".

FHM described her as a "beautiful, intelligent and warm-hearted woman" who had a "wicked" sense of humour. Reeva was born in Cape Town but moved to Johannesburg to pursue modelling. She had been scheduled to give a motivational speech to school students in Johannesburg a few days after her death. "It was about empowerment and inspiration and what inspires you and how to follow your dreams," said Tomlinson.

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She also used her Twitter account to encourage her thousands of followers to combat sexual abuse and violence against women. "WEAR BLACK THIS FRIDAY IN SUPPORT AGAINST #RAPE," she retweeted hours before she died. Her mother, June, has since set up a refuge for abused women and called it The Reeva Foundation in her name.

She told Hello Magazine: "Oscar Pistorius took away the chance for her to do so much good. So I'm going to devote my life to it on her behalf. In this way, her dream will come true and her name will live on forever. I'll be busy making this happen and helping the women who Reeva wanted to rescue. In this way we'll keep Reeva's name alive."

Her cousin, Kim Martin, gave an account of Reeva in the witness box during the trial. She said her childhood was full of love for animals and family that remained constant throughout her life. She said she had her heart set on studying for a career in the law, but began modelling as a paid hobby that helped fund her law school fees.

Her brother Adam said in his eulogy at her funeral: "We're going to keep all the positive things that we remember and know about my sister and we will try and continue with the things that she tried to make better. We'll miss her. There's a space missing inside all of the people that she knew that can't be filled again."

Nia Dalton