What it's like to be...

Law Student in South Africa during the trial of the Century. 

I remember it as though it happened yesterday when I was sitting in my third year Property Law class and all you could hear were the mummers and mumblings about the arrest of Oscar Pistorius for the alleged murder of his girlfriend. Everyone around me was referencing what the Criminal law lecturers had said regarding mistake when having committed a crime and what the legal implications as well as consequences of that.

We at this stage barely knew what had happened but we had all formed an opinion in 24 hours of the incident occurring. When his bail application started in the High Court which is about 50 minutes from where I study, a law school friend and I rushed off to see whether or not we would be able to get a seat in the packed court room which was filled with journalists and family members. unfortunately we were not able to get a seat in the court room but the experience from standing and speaking to foreign journalists and individuals whom had interacted with the legal system in one form or another.

Everything from the incident, bail application and the start of and now sentencing of Oscar Pistrious, I have finished my third law and am a couple weeks away from completing my degree and I am stunned at the impact that this one trial has had on South Africans and people all over the world. The strangest thing is that when you meet up with a family friend or random person from the nail salon, hair dresser everyone wants your view on the crime as well as offer you their view on the trial and what the outcome should be. Yet when I walk in the Law Clinic and you mention the trial, the general response that you get is, "I am not watching or following it anymore."

I believe that the biggest issue that I have with the trial is that all of sudden everyone is a legal eagle and unwilling to listen to what the law says rather what they believe to be right in respect of justice. I am not saying that the law should not ensure that justice is served but there are legal principles that have been introduced into our law to ensure that every person who has to answer to the law is treated fairly.

As I await to hear the sentence, lessons have been learnt and opinions have been heard but we need to remember that it is only the Judge who has the final say.

Chat soon,