Pistorius shock: Detective Botha on attempted murder charges
Athlete's chances of bail look better as humiliated detective turns out to be facing trial himself

OSCAR PISTORIUS'S bail hearing in Pretoria has taken an extraordinary turn, with the revelation that the police officer leading the case is himself facing seven charges of attempted murder. The BBC's Today programme reported this morning that many involved in the hearing were "flummoxed" by the news. Reporters covering the hearing, due to restart at 9am UK time, are speculating on what effect it could have on the magistrate's bail decision.
The officer is Detective Hilton Botha, who was humiliated in court yesterday when, having declared that he was certain the killing of Reeva Steenkamp was premeditated, was forced to admit that he had no evidence to contradict Pistorius's story that he accidentally shot his model girlfriend, thinking that she was an intruder.
The case against Botha is that he was one of three officers, all drunk, who were driving a police car when they opened fire on a minibus taxi – or combi, as they are called in South Africa - carrying seven passengers
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The three officers were arrested in 2011 but the charges of attempted murder were withdrawn.
This morning, police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila announced that the South African Director of Public Prosecution had now decided to reinstate the charges and that Botha will face trial in May.
"It was only yesterday that we were informed by the DPP that he is being charged," said Malila.
According to the Eyewitness News, Malila said there were no plans to pull Botha off the investigation. "The member is innocent until proven guilty. The member was chosen by the station to do the investigation due to the fact that he is a senior."
But criminal law specialist William Booth said the revelation could have an impact on the bail decision. "If a witness testifies and it’s established he has previous convictions or pending cases, it's a factor which may play a role in respect to his credibility."
Yesterday, magistrate Desmond Nair showed signs that he might allow bail. He intervened at one point to ask Botha if he thought Pistorius would skip bail: "The accused before court is an international athlete, paralympic athlete, he uses prosthesis on both legs. I'm sure we would both agree that his face is widely recognised internationally. Do you subjectively believe that he would take the opportunity, being who he is, using prosthetics to get around, to flee South Africa?"
There was laughter in court when Botha replied "Yes".
The Guardian, reporting from the courtroom early today, says Pistorius "looked more calm and composed than at any point so far, while the smiles on his family's faces suggested that they felt momentum was shifting his way".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
By The Week US
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK