Lawley Street wonderland – including Pistorius mansion
Neighbours and friends on Sunday rallied to rubbish a media report that of Arnold Pistorius, uncle of Oscar, this year did not participate in the annual ritual to turn Lawley Street in Waterkloof into a Christmas light wonderland.
“Malicious, petty, totally unfair and worst of all, completely untrue.”
This was the reaction of neighbours of Arnorld Pistorius in Lawley Street in Waterkloof – known for being turned into a spectacle of Christmas lights and festive cheer by residents in the upmarket street who spend thousands of rands annually to decorate their homes.
“Arnold was the first to have his house decorated with special, beautiful and tasteful lights and one of the first to turn the lights at his house on,” said a neighbour about the uncle of the blade runner, Oscar Pistorius, sentenced to five years imprisonment for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013. None of the neighbours who spoke to Rekord wanted to be identified.
The strong reaction from residents and friends followed the publication on Sunday by an Afrikaans weekly newspaper stating that ‘Lawley Street’s lights rejoice – but not at the Pistorius home ….’ ,claiming that this year, in strong contrast to the other mansions in the street, the home of Pistorius seemed quiet and cold behind high walls.
Lawley Street, where Oscar Pistorius lived with his uncle since the death of Steenkamp and being sent to prison, attracts hundreds of thousands of people every December to watch how the huge homes are turned into fairy tale castles by thousands of Christmas lights, a tradition that was started some 20 years ago and had since turned the street into one of the biggest attractions in the capital city over December.
“Arnold had taken a lot of trouble with his lights this year with, among others, special turning stars in the trees outside his house. The photo published of the Pistorius house (in Sunday’s paper) was clearly taken in daylight and of course the full effect of his lights will not be seen,” said another neighbour.
A friend said the Pistorius family participated in several events in the street this year, including an evening of Christmas carols outside in the street near the Pistorius house, adding that the report in the paper was malicious and totally uncalled for as it was not true.
“Why not just leave the poor family alone,” she added.
The Christmas lights in Lawley Street will be burning until 1 January 2015.
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