FP News Top Story

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Pistorius girlfriend's family says Reeva is 'back home,' private funeral planned for Tuesday

By: Gerald Imray, The Associated Press

Posted: 02/17/2013 9:18 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/17/2013 2:31 PM

In this frame-grab from state television channel SABC 1 a tribute is devoted to slain model Reeva Steenkamp, girlfriend of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius. South Africa’s national broadcaster went ahead with the screening of the reality TV show "Tropica Island of Treasure" Saturday, Feb 16, 2013, featuring the dead model. Steenkamp encouraged her family to watch in one of her last conversations with them before her shooting death at the home of Pistorius. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

London 2012

Complete coverage of the Paralympic games in London.

JOHANNESBURG - The family of Reeva Steenkamp said Sunday her body was back in her hometown of Port Elizabeth after the model and reality TV contestant was shot dead inside the house of Oscar Pistorius. A private funeral will be held on Tuesday.

Adam Steenkamp, the brother of Pistorius' late girlfriend, told The Associated Press "Reeva is back home."

The family said that Steenkamp, who was shot multiple times and killed at the double-amputee Olympic athlete's home early Thursday, will be cremated in a ceremony closed to the public and the media in the city on South Africa's southern coast.

Pistorius was charged with her murder and is expected to make a second court appearance — also on Tuesday — for the start of his bail hearing. He remains in custody in a police station in Pretoria ahead of that hearing.

The 29-year-old Steenkamp was seen laughing and smiling on South African television Saturday night after national broadcaster SABC chose to air the first episode of a reality TV show in which she was featured. Her family said it did not oppose the program being aired because Steenkamp wanted people to see it and a short tribute to her was shown before the episode.

A fellow contestant on the "Tropika Island of Treasure 5" show told AP Television News that Steenkamp "was always making sure everyone was OK."

"Fun, crazy, loving, beautiful, gorgeous. She really was an angel and I still haven't come to terms with what happened," Katleho Molai said of Steenkamp. "I haven't really eaten, I'm struggling to sleep. So it's been really hard to come to terms with what's happened to her."

___

Nastasya Tay of APTN contributed to this report.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More FP News Top Story

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Have Your Say

Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?

Have Your Say

Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.