24 November 2023 , 12:04
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Reeva Steenkamp shared a harrowing message on social media just hours before she was murdered.
On Valentine's Day 2013, model and activist Reeva was horrifically shot dead by her boyfriend, Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius, in his bathroom in the middle of the night. The 29-year-old law graduate, who was described as an 'angelic soul', had her whole life ahead of her, but sadly never made it to her 30th birthday.
Today, it was announced Pistorius, now 37, will be freed imminently after a decade in prison. The former professional sprinter was initially convicted of manslaughter after he claimed he thought Reeva was an intruder, and then the verdict was changed to murder. He will now be released on parole in January 2024.
Reeva is remembered by her loved ones as being 'beautiful, intelligent and very inspiring' (AP)
The last message she shared on her Twitter account encouraged her fans to combat sexual abuse (AP)Reeva was an entrepreneur committed to empowering women, and was passionate about raising awareness of important topics close to her heart. She used her Twitter account to encourage her thousands of followers to combat sexual abuse and violence against women. Just hours before she died, she retweeted: "WEAR BLACK THIS FRIDAY IN SUPPORT AGAINST #RAPE."
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 in 2014: "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."
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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," her publicist Sarit Tomlinson said.
Sait continued to explain that Reeva 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".
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."
FHM described her as a "beautiful, intelligent and warm-hearted woman" who had a "wicked" sense of humour. 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.