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On what would have been the model’s 33rd birthday, a foundation to help victims of domestic abuse has been set up in her name
On Friday, a small band played the familiar Happy Birthday ditty as the sun set over Port Elizabeth’s suburb of Summerstrand, where guests and family had gathered to launch an anti-abuse foundation for women in honour of slain South African beauty Reeva Steenkamp.
It was a bittersweet August 19 evening as it would have been Reeva’s 33rd birthday.
A large portrait of the former model, who was murdered by her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, three and a half years ago, dominated the room at the Boardwalk Hotel, where her parents June (69) and Barry (73) smiled while mingling with supporters, occasionally blinking back tears.
June told the crowd that feathers had always been a special symbol between Reeva and her.
She said that whenever she discovered a feather strewn in her way, she knew it to be a sign from her daughter in heaven.
June and Barry live in Port Elizabeth, where he used to train racehorses.
“We are doing this for Reeva,” said June.
“This is what she would have wanted. I have decided to take the baton from Reeva and to fight for women.”
She has been travelling around the world to drum up support for the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, of which she is a trustee.
The foundation counts among its high-profile ambassadors former Miss SA Claudia Henkel and gender activist Josina Machel, daughter of Nelson Mandela’s widow, Graça.
There is even talk that an interview with US media mogul Oprah Winfrey is on the cards.
Also at Friday’s event was Reeva’s cousin Kim Martin, from Cape Town, who joined June and Barry at the North Gauteng High Court as details of their daughter’s death emerged in one of the most highly publicised murder trials the world has been witness to.
Martin has been appointed chief executive of the foundation.
“To all the women who are victims of abuse, I promise to speak out for you,” an emotional Martin told the audience.
Other family members at the hotel included Martin’s parents Mike and Lynne Steenkamp, and her sister Sharon.
As has been the family’s tradition since Reeva’s death on February 14 2013, they placed flowers in the sea at Port Elizabeth’s Summerstrand beach earlier that day. They could not find roses on sale, so settled for carnations and arum lilies instead.
Jacqui Mofokeng, convenor of the Progressive Women’s Movement of SA, travelled to Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg for the launch. Mofokeng became an emotional crutch for the Steenkamps at court, where she supported June during the murder trial every day. She and June have become firm friends, and she too is a trustee of the foundation.
“June is much better now. Three years ago, she was just crying. People at the court had no idea that 60% of the time she was crying,” said Mofokeng.
The two women hugged and posed for pictures next to a two-tier birthday cake, decorated with pink fondant feathers. The foundation’s other trustees are Craig de Lange, the director of BDLS Attorneys, and Trish Taylor, the mother of Pistorius’ ex-girlfriend Samantha.
At the event, Martin introduced the Reeva Pack – a satchel containing a 40-page booklet on abuse, and a 12-point domestic violence indicator to help victims identify abusive relationships. “The Reeva Pack aims to help women make necessary changes,” said Martin.
“The 40-page guide has practical tips on how to remove yourself and your children from abuse, and phone numbers for getting help. The book’s contents are precious. So many hours of work went into this.”
The pack was also launched in Australia and New Zealand – with appropriate contact details for each country – on Friday, she said.
The foundation hopes to sell the packs to corporates in bulk at R99 each, and that these companies will then distribute them for free. It is also selling silver feather-shaped pendants to raise funds.
In the booklet June writes: “I am so proud of Reeva … Please help me to convey her message to the world. In Reeva’s own words: ‘Remember, you are special, and the world is yours to enjoy. Everyone has the right to feel loved and safe.’”
The foundation also announced its Reeva Girl initiative, an annual bursary which will be awarded to a final-year student specialising in family law.
Reeva graduated at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 2005, having completed a law degree.
