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The mother of Reeva Steenkamp has spoken for the first time about the moment she came face-to-face
with Oscar Pistorius at his *** trial.
I wanted to see him and him to see me. I just felt that I had to do that, but he didn't
look at me or anything. He just, just walked straight and looked ahead. The whole point
was that he must see me, that I'm there. You know, I'm her mother and you know what happened
to her was terrible, and I just wanted him to see me there, that I am there representing Reeva.
June Steenkamp was in court to hear Oscar Pistorius plead not guilty, but she says it
was witness statements that made her break down.
You know, when they're talking about Reeva, what she went through and how she was traumatised.
Well obviously, you can imagine. She's locked herself in the toilet, and she's being shot,
and she's in pain, and that's one of my things that I wish I could've been there to protect her.
That was my child, you know, that I gave birth to. And it's hard for me that she's
dead, she's gone. That was the time that I broke down, you know. The screaming and you know...
That was my child there that was screaming. That was injured and dying.
Despite the tragic circumstances of Reeva's death, June says she now wants to forgive.
I'm not a person who hates another person. One has to forgive, and otherwise I'll sit
with all that anger and how could I say? I don't want it to burn me up. It's got to go.
It's got to let go of that anger. One has to forgive, and we'll never forget.
Pistorius denies murdering Reeva Steenkamp, claiming he shot her because he thought she
was an intruder. The trial continues.