One Tragic Night (18 page)

After the Olympic Games and the success of 2012, Oscar ordered himself a R3.5-million McLaren
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Spider. Life was good. He had an estimated R17 million in endorsements from various global brands including Nike, Oakley, Thierry Mugler and British telecommunications company BT. He was revelling in the lifestyle that success had brought him.

In his personal life, Oscar was again involved in a passionate and turbulent relationship with a blonde beauty. He had been seeing Johannesburg student Samantha Taylor, whom he had met at a rugby game in 2010. The two had got to know each other over time and began dating in September 2011. However, during the Olympics, while Oscar was in London, the couple broke up. But when
he returned to South Africa in September 2012, they reignited their relationship. ‘Upon his return from London he begged me to go out with him again and said he would get a psychologist for us to make our relationship work,' claims Taylor in an affidavit deposed for the purposes of Oscar's murder trial. She would also go into extensive detail about their relationship in an interview with us.

In November 2012 the couple fell out again during a trip to Sun City. ‘We were fighting about him being rude to me,' explained Taylor in the affidavit. They were meant to go to Durban together but didn't. While they were on a break, the marketing student said she realised the relationship was over when she saw her boyfriend at the South African Sports Awards with model Reeva Steenkamp.

In the affidavit signed by Taylor, she gave insight into her relationship with Oscar, his mood swings, drinking and enthusiasm for guns:

After news of Reeva Steenkamp's death broke, Taylor's mother posted on Facebook: ‘I am so glad that Sammy is safe and sound, and out of the clutches of that man. There were a few occasions where things could have gone wrong with her and his gun during the time they dated.'

It was over Samantha Taylor that Oscar became embroiled in a heated altercation with former professional soccer player Marc Batchelor.

With his peroxide hair, dubious friends and elaborate tattoos, Batchelor's reputation precedes him. ‘Batch', as the ex-SuperSport presenter is known, moves in the same circles as well-known underworld figure and hired hit man Mikey Schultz – a circle that is not fond of Oscar Pistorius. Batchelor's friends also refer
to him as ‘The Sherriff' due to his eagerness to take care of their problems, at times with what appears to be a little too much enthusiasm.

So it was that Batchelor became embroiled in the dispute between his friend
Clifton Shores
producer and mining multimillionaire Quinton van der Burgh and the Blade Runner.

Batchelor had seen Oscar around at charity events but the two men had never got on. ‘He was arrogant from then,' says Batchelor. ‘He was always looking for accolades. And, you know, when the room is full of ex-sportsmen and there are celebs everywhere, I mean why must he always make an entrance?'

While Oscar was in London for the Olympics and he and Taylor had broken up, Samantha went on several dates as well as an overseas trip with Van der Burgh. Batchelor claimed Oscar was fuming when he found out and confronted Van der Burgh at a race day at the Kyalami track, while the millionaire was entertaining clients.

‘Oscar runs right up to Quinton and says, “Hey, you fucking cunt! You fucking asshole! You fucking sleeping with my girl while I'm fucking running for my country!” all this “f-” and “f-” … “I'll fuck you up.” This that and the next thing, “Who the fuck do you think you are?” Quinton says he stood there. He just didn't know what to do ‘cause, first, he's with all his clients and this is like a multibillionaire. Oscar turned and said, “You better watch where you go, you better watch your back,” as they left and then Quinton got hold of me and he said, “Listen, I'm nervous now.” So I said, “Do you want me to sort it out?” and he said, “Please.”'

Batchelor claims he tried to get hold of Francois Hougaard who was on tour with the Springboks in Ireland. He knew that Oscar and the rugby player were friends, so he left a message with the scrumhalf's roommate. ‘”Just tell Hougaard, tell him that,” I said, “I'm looking to speak to him and I want to get hold of Oscar because Oscar is threatening people and if Hougaard wants to get involved in this shit then he must be very careful what he's dealing with because he must play rugby, he mustn't get involved with this.”'

The message reached Oscar and when the runner bumped into a mutual friend of his and Batchelor's at a party at the Vaal Dam, the situation escalated.

‘I was at a braai in the south with Mikey [Schultz] – and my friend was at this house party at the Vaal. I see on my phone he's phoning so I answered the phone and I say, “Hey, what's up?” and he says, “It's fucking Oscar, what's your fucking problem, boy?” So I said, “Listen, don't fucking call me boy,” and he went off. No, he's going to break my legs and he's got bats and this and that … he was just screaming, for like 30 seconds about he's not scared who I am and who I know
… and I swore back at him, I said, “Now listen here, you cunt. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?” So he says, “Hold on, Marc.” Now he's quiet, hey. As long as he's in front of people, he's trying to show off. So he goes up into an area where it's quiet and he says, “Come on, can't we sort this out?” and “What's wrong?”'

The phone cut out but Batchelor says Oscar called back two minutes later. And it's “Fuck you! It's Oscar, you cunt. Who the fuck are you?” He went from screaming to “Please can we sort this out?” So I said, “Listen, you little cunt, where are you? I'll come there now and I'll fuck you up,” and he says, “You can come here now and I'll fuck you up, I'm ready for you!” So Mikey actually heard the second part of the conversation. With the second call he came outside and was like “Jeez”. I laughed it off. So we were laughing.'

Oscar took the matter to the police's special crime-fighting unit the Hawks and Batchelor was summoned to a meeting with three high-ranking police ‘colonels'. The unit investigates serious, complex, organised crime, and some would argue that Oscar's course of action was an excessive show of force and influence for so minor an incident. Batchelor claims the meeting was only arranged because of Justin Divaris's connection with Gauteng Hawks head Shadrack Sibiya, a claim that Divaris has consistently denied.

Batchelor claimed that Oscar had a bad temper and that at the meeting with the police officials, he had a black eye because he had been involved in a fight.

‘So I walk in there, and I say, “What's happening, guys?” and there's colonels and lieutenant-colonels and I'm taking pictures with the cops. Then Justin and Oscar walk in. Fuck. So I go, “You've got to be shitting me. I'm here for this?” and I got cross. So the one colonel said to me, “General Sibiya can't be here. We take these kind of threats in our society very high.” So I said, “What do you okes do here?” so he said, “We do hits … the organised crime, we do big drug deals, murder, robbery.” So I said, “What is this that I have done? Or he's done or this one?” Oscar couldn't look at me, he was shaking. He had a black eye and he had stitches in his head from the party. He was so pissed, he fell and cut his head. He was dancing with his gun … So he admitted to phoning me, swearing at me, he says, “I swore back at him.”'

It emerged that Oscar had laid a charge of intimidation against Batchelor, who in turn charged the runner with defamation.

Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramoloko had to address questions raised by the media about the bizarre meeting at the police office. “We are not investigating any case, or anyone,” said Ramoloko.

Oscar made no comment to the media at the time of the incident, but his
version of events was different, as he alluded to in an interview with Afrikaans magazine
Sarie
, published in the February that Reeva died but which was conducted in November 2013. He intimated that the media had got him wrong. ‘You can't – or won't – give your side of the story because you want to keep your private life private. Many of the details in the newspapers have been heartbreaking. You trust someone and then they go and do something very unexpected. You learn,' Oscar told the magazine.

‘You are just never too sure in a relationship. You take a chance every time you meet someone. But you can't be too cynical about anything in life. All you can do is hope the person you're with has integrity. It is difficult to find the right person, one who is trustworthy, who will keep your private stuff private. It requires a very special person to be in a relationship with a sportsman. I know it. It is not an easy life. I travel so much. You need someone who can travel with you or who is super accommodating. Is it a challenge? Yes. I haven't found the right person yet, but it's okay.'

In the interview he spoke of how he dealt with negative publicity and the importance of humility in life.

‘When I was younger, I wanted to call the journalist and get things off my chest. At the end of the day (he sighs) … If I comment on a story, it just becomes bigger. (He keeps quiet and thinks.) Fame isn't that great. Like anything in life, it has its pros and cons, its highlights and lowlights. The best thing you can do is not to let it go to your head when you achieve things. Because it is only a matter of time before you are cut down. Just live life and be nice to people.'

Oscar would be involved in two further incidents in late 2012 and early 2013 that ordinarily would have lit up the headlines. But he managed to keep them both hushed and they only emerged when all his dirty laundry and baggage were being up-ended after his arrest. In late September 2012, while driving back from the Vaal River about an hour from Johannesburg, Oscar was in a car with Taylor and his friend Darren Fresco when they were pulled over by a Metro police officer. The athlete got into a confrontation with the officer over his firearm. Later on during the journey, he allegedly fired his gun through the sunroof of the car in which they were travelling.

Then, in January 2013, Oscar accidentally discharged Fresco's Glock firearm while they were sitting at Tashas, a restaurant in Melrose Arch in Johannesburg. Remarkably, Oscar was successful in keeping both incidents out of the press at the time. In April 2014, the
Sunday Times
newspaper also revealed how the athlete successfully dissuaded it from running an article about another incident in which he was assaulted at a club in Sandton in December 2012. The paper claimed
the athlete denied being assaulted in order to save his image as Mr Clean, and also lied about his love affair with Reeva.

‘The athlete was so obsessed with maintaining his squeaky clean public image and lucrative sponsorship deals that he repeatedly lied to try to cover up an assault during December 2012, for which he had to receive medical attention. He also lied about his relationship with Reeva Steenkamp in an interview on January 14 last year, denying he was in a serious relationship.'

When
Sunday Times
reporter Gabi Mbele approached Pistorius with information related to the assault, he pleaded with her not to run the story because it could ‘ruin' him. After speaking with her editors, the reporter informed Oscar of their decision in a text message on 26 January. ‘Editors have decided they won't be running anything about this, we think these guys are making up stories just to try get to you. So rest assured we not going with this. Thanks 4 calling me back. Gabi.'