Oscar supporters stand strong

The first post on supportforoscar.wordpress.com is a link to a video tribute to Pistorius. It is a slide show of various images of the paralympian with children, holding baby cheetahs and smiling broadly, accompanied by pop group Westlife’s rendition of “You Raise Me Up”.

It ends with an image of Pistorius in a hoodie, and the words “I am only human” above the Nike logo.

On Sunday, supporter Lynn posted the lyrics to the song “Make you feel my love”.

Posted on the same day, Christine Van Zyl wrote to Pistorius: “When I go to bed and wake up my thoughts are with you and I shudder to think what you going through… know that Jesus has already paid the price.”

Nina Chohan posted to Pistorius that “my heart is crying for you,” while Vuyo tells him: “It’s always darkest before dawn, chin up Ozzie”.

Pistorius’ supporters have a lot to say about prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who has reduced the “blade runner” to tears on several occasions since he started cross-examining him in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday. He is accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year. He shot her through the locked door of his toilet, apparently thinking she was an intruder about to come out and attack him.

Jason declares Nel is “wayward and cruel hearted”. Shakila Naidoo brands him “heartless”. Anita from the United Kingdom classifies him as “a man enjoying his position of superiority with the sickening glee of a Greek arena spectator”.

To Lorinda de Beer Roets he has a “devilish coconut head”. Joan Lesley from Sydney, Australia says his cross-examination has been a “ghoulish ambush”.

The blog has a number of sketches of the athlete. One depicts him with a diamond in the sky and the lyrics of a Rihanna song.

Another image shows the athlete as a baby, then a young man running, then as a cheetah jumping through a mirror, and finally with his hands clasped in prayer.

Another slide show from Christmas remains on the blog. It has various messages the athlete was sent over the festive season, including one that implores him to be like the donkey Jesus’s mother Mary was travelling on, on the way to Bethlehem.

“At Christmas have the patience of the little donkey, all will be well,” reads the slide.

In one graphic Oscar’s face has been superimposed on a Christmas tree bauble and in another his blades have been turned into giant candy canes.

– Sapa