The circus comes to town

If Oscar Pistorius felt protected having his family sitting less than a metre behind him in court GD of the Pretoria High Court yesterday, he must have felt naked leaving it.

Pistorius, 27, had to be bundled into his family's Toyota Fortuner after photographers and passers-by shoved each other to get a photograph - or glimpse of the accused.

Once inside the car, traffic and a red robot put paid to a speedy getaway and people chased the SUV, banging on its windows, eventually forcing its driver to abandon Madiba Street for Paul Kruger.

Even then people - and policemen - chased after it for several metres further.

Pistorius wouldn't have seen the members of the ANC Women's League who showed up at the court shortly after 10am, chanting "Oscar's going to jail" in isiZulu.

One member said justice had to be served "finally".

"We're here to support the Steenkamp family," she said. "We're sick and tired of women being killed senselessly."

She added: "We're not saying all South African men are bad, but on a daily basis we hear . of women being beaten, killed or raped, and justice isn't served.

"We're reassuring the Steenkamps that justice will be served this time. We'll be here every day [for the duration of the trial]."

News broadcasters including eNCA, Eurovision, Sky News, BBC, Al Jazeera and SABC set up gazebos and scaffolding opposite the court entrance and had to cope with wet weather.

Bradley Baker from Johannesburg Scaffolding said the company was charging agencies and broadcasters R1000 a day for the use of the scaffolding. He said Pistorius's "mistake is my fortune", although it wasn't personal - just business.

Interestingly, Baker said Pistorius had taken him on a tour of Pretoria Boys High School before he joined the school in 2006.

"I met him a couple of times at school, and even when he came back for old boys' events. He would bring his bulldog with [him]. I've idolised him forever - and I don't think it's in his nature [to kill intentionally]," Baker said.

Best of the Oscar tweets

Viewers across the world tuned into television and social media coverage of the Oscar Pistorius trial.

Here are some of a selection of highlights from yesterday's public reaction:

• When Oscar arrived he walked straight past Reeva's mother, avoiding eye contact.

@EmilyKateSimone: "This made me cold!"

@hermanverwey: "Oscar Pistorius walks past June Steenkamp on his way into court."

• Witness, neighbour Michelle Burger, told the judge the interpreter was not translating well.

@LeonardMasilela: "I wonder how many people lose their cases because the interpretation was shoddy, done by incompetent interpreter."

@brache87 tweeted: "In a trial that will probably define the justice system of RSA, we have an interpreter who can't even speak a language?"

@BigMackComedianL: "The sign language interpreter at Mandela memorial must be smiling after hearing the Afrikaans interpreter at the #OscarPistoriusTrial."

• Defence lawyer Barry Roux accuses the witness of speculating.

@lethabomaesela1: "Barry Roux really tried to grill that burger."

• Roux suggests Burger may have heard the cricket bat instead of shots and Oscar's screams instead of Reeva's.

@tupimo: "Hoping Uganda's president didn't hear that!"

@Dave_HeinS: "So Roux argues cricket bat and gunshots sound the same. So then why does no one play cricket with hearing protection?"

• But, according to the Twitter masses, Burger, the first of 107 witnesses, came out tops.

@LadyRockerSA : "Michelle Burger deserves an Oscar for her performance today."