Oscar Pistorius' manager Peet van Zyl has told the athlete's trial over the shooting of his girlfriend that the couple enjoyed "a loving and caring" relationship. He said the Paralympian and Reeva Steenkamp would often use pet names with each other and arrangements were being made for her to accompany him on tour.
He testified that Oscar wanted Reeva to understand "the pressures" that were on him, adding that the runner had never asked any other girlfriend to travel with him. During this evidence the athlete appeared to become emotional, covering his face with his hands.The prosecution's central allegation is that the defendant shot Reeva in a fit of rage after a quarrel; he has said he mistook her for a burglar in the middle of the night. As one of the last few witnesses to appear on behalf of the defence, the agent also spoke about the champion's prospects after London 2012.
He said those Games were about "were about two people - Mr Usain Bolt, and Mr Oscar Pistorius", explaining that his client had been on the verge of signing highly lucractive contracts worth six times those from before London at the time of the shooting.The agent - who first met Oscar at the 2004 Olympics in Athens - described his protege as "an astute businessman". He added that his client planned to retire in 2017, with a view to taking on ambassadorial sports roles.Asked about the 27-year-old's temper, Mr van Zyl said that he had only seen him lose his cool on two occasions when he was accused of cheating for wanting to race able-bodied athletes on his blades. One of these incidents took place in London during a BBC radio interview.As proceedings adjourned for the day, Oscar was seen being given a long hug by his sister Aimee.
