Reeva Steenkamp is seen during a photoshoot in this undated portfolio picture supplied by Ice Model Management in Johannesburg.
CBS NEWS
JOHANNESBURG -- The woman shot dead in
double-amputee Olympian runner Oscar Pistorius' house was a model, a law
school graduate and an entrepreneur committed to empowering women.
Reeva Steenkamp was to give an inspirational talk Thursday at a Johannesburg school.
Steenkamp
had become a celebrity in her own right, said publicist Sarit
Tomlinson. She was one of FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World
for two years running, appeared in international and South African
advertisements and was a celebrity contestant on "Tropika Island of
Treasure" filmed in Jamaica.
According to her profile on the show's site,
Steenkamp was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and became the first
face of the South African branch of cosmetics company Avon Products Inc.
six years ago.
Steenkamp's biography
on the website of talent management firm Capacity Relations, where
Tomlinson works, says the model graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree
from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
The freckled
blonde who appeared in scanty bikinis on magazine covers and sashayed
down the world's fashion ramps was "continuously breaking the model
stereotype," said Tomlinson.
Steenkamp was "the sweetest,
kindest, just angelic soul" and at the same time "a very inspiring
individual, very passionate about speaking about women and empowerment."
Police said she was shot by four bullets in the early hours of
Valentine's Day. They said only Steenkamp and Pistorius were at his
house in a gated complex in Pretoria, the capital. Police have arrested
Pistorius on a charge of murder and said he will appear in court Friday.
The two had been dating for a few months.
Scores of tributes were posted online. Her publicist said Steenkamp was 29 but police said she was 30.
Thursday
morning, Steenkamp had been scheduled to give a motivational speech to
school students in Johannesburg. "It was about empowerment and
inspiration and what inspires you and how to follow your dreams," said
Tomlinson, who had Steenkamp's notes for the speech.
On Twitter, she tweeted messages urging women to stand up against rape alongside her excitement about Valentine's Day.
Her last tweet was an enthusiastic acceptance of a friend's invite to
celebrate the day with chocolate cupcakes topped with red hearts.
She
also used her Twitter account to encourage her thousands of followers
to fight sexual abuse, re-tweeting this post just hours before she died:
Steenkamp urged followers to stand up against violence against women,
tweeting four days ago as South Africa was outraged by the particularly
brutal rape and murder of a 17-year-old:
