According to a ruling by Gauteng High Court Judge Dunstan Mlambo, local television media outlets are now allowed to broadcast parts of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius' murder trial live. USA Today said in a report that local media will now be able to install three remote-controlled cameras inside the court to broadcast one of the most-anticipated trials in the world, which has begun on Monday.
Pistorius, who has earned the nickname "Blade Runner" due to his odd-shaped prosthetic limbs used in his track competitions, allegedly killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked door.
The Telegraph said in a separate report that the judge's reason to approve the live broadcast was to dispel any notions that the South African justice system is preferential to the rich than the poor.
Limitations to the live broadcast would be the witness testimonies, said USA Today. However, the Telegraph said that the witnesses could have a say on whether their testimonies can be captured on camera.
Aside from the video cameras, the court also approved the installation of two mounted cameras to document the events in the trial in photos, the US news site said.
The UK newspaper said Mlambo's ruling was a legal first in the African region. The three media outlets who have petitioned for the broadcast were pleased with the ruling.
Producer George Mazarakis of the digital television channel Multichoice, who had set up a dedicated channel to cover the Pistorius trial, tweeted, "Thrilled the SA judiciary has matured to this ground breaking decision. It is a seminal moment."
On the other hand, the ruling will not be welcomed by Pistorius' legal camp, who has moved to block media requests to do a live coverage of the trial. Pistorius' lawyer, Barry Roux, was quoted by the Telegraph as saying that the live coverage will give prosecutors an unfair advantage due to the media circus following the coverage.
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