The 'Pistorian Guard' have tough task ahead

They have been nicknamed the Pistorian guard. They shield him when he enters and leaves the court, buy his lunch and provide a shoulder to cry on when he breaks down.

That is the kind of family that surrounds murder accused Oscar Pistorius.

His rock is his sister Aimée, who prays, cries and attends to his every need - even when he vomits. Sometimes she gets so overcome that he has to comfort her.

"When we were young we always teased each other, like kids do. Sometimes we argued and fought. But the older we got the stronger our bond became," said Aimée in a magazine interview in February last year.

The youngest of Henke and Sheila Pistorius's three children and a client services employee at Investec, she sobbed in court when her brother broke down during the testimony of pathologist Professor Gert Saayman.

She also extended a hand of support to Reeva Steenkamp's family during the gruelling testimony about how Steenkamp died, dabbed her brother's tears, and cleaned up after he retched in court.

"When Oscar and I fought when we were children my mother always used to say: 'Fix things with each other, because friends come and go, but guess what? Tomorrow you are still brother and sister,'" said Aimée in the magazine interview.

"After her death [12 years ago] we did stand together. We supported each other because we understood each other's pain."

Other family members who have been with Aimée in court include her aunts, Reine Malan and Loïs Pistorius, and cousins Maria Janse van Rensburg and Annie Kruger.

Maria's husband, Reinecke, and Annie's husband, Dieter, have acted as drivers and bodyguards for the Paralympian. He has also been shielded by older brother Carl and his uncle, Arnold.

"Please stay in a line, stay calm and no pushing," said Dieter Kruger this week. He dresses in a khaki suit and makes it his job to recce outside the court at the beginning and end of each day.

The family faces daily demonstrations by supporters of Steenkamp from the ANC Women's League. This week, they were carrying posters declaring "Women killers must rot in jail".

Arnold Pistorius said days before the trial began two weeks ago: "We love Oscar and believe in him, and will be standing by him throughout the coming trial."