In 2015, Oscar Pistorius was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Riva Stinkamp, and shooting her through the bathroom door of his home in South Africa two years earlier. At the time, the crime and the subsequent trial caused a media uproar
Now, a new four-part documentary, The Trials of Oscar Pistorius, which premiered entirely on iPlayer Sunday and premiered on Sunday nights on BBC Two, claims to shed light on why Paralympian portrayed his model and a paralegal girlfriend
People just aren’t happy. The first episode was broadcast on TV this weekend and sparked a reaction online. Why? Because most of the 90 minutes focused on Oscar Pistorius’ athletic achievement, with little thought or concern for Riva, the woman he killed
Interviews with Oscar’s brother and uncle recall how Oscar grew up to show athletic prowess despite having his feet amputated at the age of 11 months, but none of the interviewees associated with Oscar expressed remorse for Riva or sympathy for her family. The impression it makes is that if You’re talented enough, anything else you do can be excused – including killing
In October, after the release of a trailer for a documentary series that did not mention Reeva by name, the BBC apologized, saying: “We are sorry that the original track did not directly refer to Reeva Steenkamp. We are aware of the annoyance it caused, which was not intended at all. We have removed the track and it will be replaced by something more representative of the series, which examines in detail a number of the complex issues associated with her murder. ”
But now that the series has been released, it seems that the same problems remain. Many women have resorted to social media to share their anger.
Twitter user @NeolioSays said: « I am disgusted by the BBC for the Oscar Pistorius documentary blatant praise of a man who has already achieved so much – but what about Riva? Little about her, her family and her accomplishments. Absolute disrespect for the memory of the woman whose victim was #HernamewasReSteenkamp »
« This #BBC documentary is shocking! Focusing on the remarkable sporting achievements of Pistorius, what a beautiful man and what a tragedy for him !! Poor Oscar! Her name was REEVA STEENKAMP! » Another said, ColdJustice_
In a widely shared review for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan said: “What could be an examination of the cultural affinity that makes South Africa one of the most dangerous places women live – a woman is killed by her partner there every eight hours – Instead it’s little more than a head shake due to the misfortune of one man. ”
BBC and director Daniel Gordon seems to have missed the opportunity to give Riva Stinkamp the spotlight it deserves.
Riva Stinkamp, a well-known South African model and television personality, was a legal assistant hoping to become a qualified attorney
Born in Cape Town to parents John and Barry, Riva gave birth to two half-brothers. The family later moved to Port Elizabeth and Riva graduated from Port Elizabeth University with a BA in Law.
When she was in her early twenties, Riva had an accident to ride a horse and break her back. The accident was so severe that Riva had to learn to walk again
Her body was cremated in Port Elizabeth on February 19, 2013, six days after her death.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get more articles like these delivered straight to your inbox
Oscar Pistorius, Riva Stinkamp, South Africa
World News – California – Everyone says the same about Oscar Pistorius’ new documentary
