The mother of Reeva Steenkamp, who was tragically murdered by Oscar Pistorius in 2013, has been subjected to a wave of online abuse after suffering a life-changing stroke.
June Steenkamp, 78, was rushed to hospital last week after collapsing at her farm in South Africa.
Doctors have confirmed she has been left unable to speak and is not fully aware of her surroundings while they continue to assess the extent of the brain damage.
Her family say she faces a long period of rehabilitation and have launched a fundraising campaign to pay for private treatment.
Oscar Pistorius murdered girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp back in 2013 | GETTYBut instead of sympathy, trolls loyal to Pistorius flooded the Reeva Steenkamp Foundation’s Facebook page with vile comments.
Some claimed June’s illness was “karma” or “payback” for making the former Paralympic sprinter’s life “hell.” Others accused her of “milking” her daughter’s death.
Lawyer and close friend Tania Koen condemned the sickening abuse.
“There are people out there who are happy she had a stroke,” Koen told News24.
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“[They think] she deserves what has happened. There are people who say that’s what she needs for ruining Oscar’s life.
"It is disgusting that people can be so cruel to someone who has lost a cherished daughter so violently.”
Reeva was 29 when Pistorius shot her four times through a locked bathroom door on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
The athlete, once hailed as the “Blade Runner” for competing at the Olympics on carbon-fibre prosthetics, was convicted of murder and served eight years in prison before being released in January 2024 into the care of his uncle Arnold Pistorius.
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Reeva Steenkamp's father, Barry Steenkamp, died two years ago
| GETTYHe now lives at his uncle’s Pretoria mansion.
June’s daughter, Simone, spoke from her home in the UK, saying the family had endured relentless harassment in the years since.
“There is not a lot we as a family have not been called because we fought for justice for Reeva and all the other women who suffer gender-based violence,” she said.
Simone revealed her mother had been battling health issues before the stroke, including a bladder infection, and was still grieving the death of her husband Barry two years ago.
“He basically died of a broken heart after what happened to Reeva,” she said.
Financial struggles have compounded the family’s pain.
The Steenkamps lost their pub during the Covid pandemic and relied at times on small payments from Pistorius to cover food and rent.
“They are not money-grabbing people at all,” Koen stressed. “The family rejected a financial settlement from Pistorius, but when things became too hard they accepted £250 a month to survive.
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Oscar Pistorius lives a low-key life following his release from prison in January 2024 | GETTY"The way they were maligned on social media during the trial and ever since makes me very emotional.”
Despite the cruelty of some comments, others have expressed support for June.
“Love to June. Some humans are despicable,” one message read. “They have not walked a mile in June or Barry’s shoes.”
June had been due to fly to the UK this month to live with Simone after selling the family farm, but those plans are on hold while doctors decide on her long-term care.