That request means the hearing is likely to offer more details about what happened in the early hours of Valentine’s Day at Pistorius’s upmarket home in a gated estate in the South African capital.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested Pistorius mistook Steenkamp for an intruder, while other reports said she was beaten with a cricket bat before being shot multiple times.
Pistorius, who broke down sobbing in his first court appearance on Friday, has built up a powerful team of lawyers, medical specialists and public relations experts for his defence.
Stuart Higgins, a former editor of British tabloid The Sun, whose lengthy list of clients includes British Airways, Chelsea FC and Manchester United football club, will be handling public relations in the case.
One of the lawyers, Kenny Oldwage, acted for the driver in a 2010 accident that killed former president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela’s great-grandchild Zenani. The driver was acquitted.
Pistorius is a national icon who inspired people around the world when he became the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The events of February 14 have put Pistorius’s career on hold, forcing him to cancel races in Australia, Brazil, Britain and the United States between March and May.
“I have decided that following these tragic events that we have no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in, to allow Oscar to concentrate on the upcoming legal proceedings,” manager Peet van Zyl said.
Sponsors and partners are in the meantime maintaining their contractual commitments awaiting the outcome of the legal process, Van Zyl said in a statement.
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