Pistorius, the first double amputee runner to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympics, is charged with the shooting murder of his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day last year.
The prosecution is seeking to prove that Ms Steenkamp was killed in a premeditated crime of passion.
Pistorius claims he shot the 29 year-old law graduate and model through a locked bathroom door mistakenly believing she was an intruder.
Much has been made of the fact that Pistorius had never spoken with Steenkamp’s parents since their daughter’s death.
facing Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp in the courtroom, he had his opportunity.
“I would like to begin my testimony by tendering an apology,” he said haltingly, his voice strained and high-pitched.
“To Mrs and Mr Steenkamp, to Reeva’s family, to those who knew her who are here today, I’d like to apologise and say there hasn’t been a moment since this tragedy happened when I haven’t thought about your family.
“I wake up every morning and you are the first people I think about, the first people I pray for.
“I can’t imagine the pain and sorrow that I have caused you. I was simply trying to protect Reeva. I can promise you that when she went to bed that night she felt loved.
“I have tried to put my words on paper many, many times to write to you but no words can ever suffice”.
Several times during the apology Pistorius broke down and had to regain his composure before continuing.
At one stage Judge Thokozile Masipa asked him to speak up, his emotional state and the fact that he insisted on facing Mrs Steenkamp, rather than bending towards the microphone, making his words barely audible.
The manner in which the judge addressed the accused was significant. Instead of simply asking him to speak louder, as she has to many other witnesses throughout the trial, she was apologetic.
“Mr Pistorius”, she said. “I don’t like doing this to you, but I can hardly hear you.”
While there is no question that Pistorius was sincere in his apology, it served to strengthen the tactics of his canny defence advocate Barry Roux, who spent the first session of his client’s evidence establishing him as a sympathetic character, far removed from the prosecution’s portrayal of a reckless, privileged playboy.
Led by Mr Roux, Pistorius told the court he was on anti-depressants and sleeping pills to help him cope.
“I’m scared to sleep,” he said.
“I have terrible nightmares since the terrible things that happened that night. I … I smell blood. I wake up in a complete state of terror. I would rather not sleep than wake up like that.”
Mr Roux then took Pistorius through his life history, painting a picture of a young man whose disability was no barrier to him living a full and productive life.
Of particular benefit to the defence case was evidence that Pistorius’s late mother, who raised her three children largely alone, slept with a loaded pistol under her pillow and often called the police when she feared for her family’s safety.
Pistorius told of sticking up for himself against schoolyard bullies and helping young people who had lost their legs due to landmines.
Earlier, Mr Roux had called the first witness for the defence, pathologist Jan Botha. For the past three weeks it had been prosecutor Gerrie Nel who had sat back as Mr Roux systematically tore apart the evidence of prosecution witnesses.
Yesterday it was Mr Nel’s first chance to show his cross-examination skills, and he tore into Mr Botha with a vengeance, accusing him at one stage of manufacturing evidence to suit Pistorius’s case — an allegation he angrily denied.
Given the sympathetic showing by Pistorius on the stand so far, Mr Nel must now be careful not to attack too strongly for fear of totally overplaying his hand.
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