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 Pistorius, 27, has admitted to shooting his girlfriend, model
Reeva Steenkamp, at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day last year,
but has said it was a tragic accident in which he had mistaken
Steenkamp for an intruder.
If convicted of murder, he faces up to life in prison. The trial is
due to start March 3.
In a televised ruling in a Pretoria high court, Judge Dustan Mlambo
said it was vital that impoverished South Africans who feel
ill-treated by the justice system be given a first-hand look at the
trial.
"The justice system is still perceived as treating the rich and
famous with kid gloves whilst being harsh on the poor and the
vulnerable," he said.
"Enabling a larger South African society to be able to follow
first-hand criminal proceedings which involve a celebrity, so to
speak, will go a long way into dispelling these negative and
unfounded perceptions."
Mlambo attached several conditions, including provisos that no
recording be allowed during breaks and that no confidential
communication between parties involved in the trial be recorded.
He also said the cameras could not take "extreme close-ups" nor
record witnesses who didn't give their consent.
Mlambo said the presiding judge had the discretion to order that
broadcasting be stopped if "it becomes apparent that the presence of
cameras ... is impeding a particular witness' right to privacy,
dignity or the accused's right to a fair trial".
DOWNFALL
Pistorius' legal team had opposed televising the trial on the
grounds it would be intrusive. Local media groups had argued for its
televisation under freedom of information principles enshrined in
South Africa's post-apartheid constitution. Double-amputee
Pistorius, dubbed the "Blade Runner" for his running prostheses,
became a global hero at the London 2012 Olympics when he made it to
the 400-metre semi-final against able-bodied athletes.
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He was born without fibulas and had both legs amputated below the
knee before he turned 1, but his track success, supported by his
rugged good looks and public charm, saw him elevated to a global
symbol of triumph over adversity
The esteem in which he was held only increased the sense of
disbelief at his downfall, drawing comparisons to that of golf star
Tiger Woods and American footballer Simpson.
The star running back turned actor and popular TV pitch man, was
charged in the 1994 stabbing and slashing murders of his ex-wife,
Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
He was acquitted after a year-long trial in Los Angeles that ranked
as one of the world's most-watched criminal proceedings.
The South African media has been gripped by the case, with salacious
details about Pistorius and Steenkamp being published on a regular
basis as the trial date has drawn near.
On Tuesday, Johannesburg's Star newspaper had a center-spread
"Special Report" about the trial, complete with profiles of
presiding judge Thokozile Masipa and defense and prosecution
attorneys. It also ran a diagram of the bathroom in which Steenkamp
was shot dead.
(Editing by Ed Cropley and Sophie Hares)
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