IT'S 19 AUGUST 1983 and a couple have just welcomed a daughter into the world - a baby they dared to dream they'd have.
Barry and June Steenkamp already have a child each from their previous marriages - a daughter, Simone, for June and a son, Adam, for Barry.
They thought they might have left it a bit late for another baby but here she is, a healthy little girl they've already decided to call Rebecca.
But after Barry sees his daughter, he has another suggestion for a name: Reeva. It means "to bind together" in biblical Hebrew and it was perfect - shed be the seal on her parents' commitment and would go into the world with a strong and unusual name.
The baby is christened Reeva Rebecca and she grows into a model child, exceeding in everything she puts her mind to. At St Dominic's Priory School in what was then Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), she's a hardworking learner who excels at extra-murals - especially horse riding, her first love.
"People assume I'm one of those princess types but the only Barbie I had growing up was the one with a horse, Reeva would tell FHM magazine in 2012.
Yet in her teenage years she becomes interested in modelling too, and with her dazzling smile and air of charming innocence, she makes an immediate impact.
"She was 15 and a very young 15," Barbara Robertson, the editor of a local newspaper that hosted a modelling contest where Reeva made her debut, told The Guardian years later.
"She was innocent, down to earth - one of those girls who had the It factor. She was a little bit Kate Moss in her early career."
But Reeva also wants to make sure she has a career she can benefit from for life. After school she enrols for a law degree at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and graduates in 2005.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 11 January 2024 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 11 January 2024 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
OUR BRAVE LITTLE FIGHTER
Like her late sister, little Elana was born with a rare lung condition and can't breathe without a ventilator, but her parents are walking this familiar path with courage and hope
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
With his new film, The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling put stunt doubles centre stage but how hard is it for a complete amateur to master the trade? Journalist Simon Usborne decided to find out
INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE
Irish writer Cecelia Ahern chats to YOU about writing her novels in longhand, her love of Lego and looking forward to her first wine-tasting in South Africa
THE KIDS ARE NOT OKAY
Something happened around 2010 that's had a huge impact on Gen Z, says a new book. It was the start of the phone-based childhood, and it's resulted in a rewiring of kids' brains - and a surge in depression and anxiety
HE'S ON THE BALL
Despite having no lower legs, -Grayton's prowess on the rugby field has made him a social media star
THIS ISN'T JUSTICE
A woman was shot dead by her fiancé, who said he thought she was an intruder. Now her family believe he got off lightly
THE BOSS IN CHARGE OF YOUR CROSS
As chief electoral officer of the IEC, Sy Mamabolo has his hands full these days!
HEARTBREAK AND HOPE
Relatives and loved ones share their stories as rescue efforts continue for the people still trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in George
BLOOMING!
Shes adored by fans and loathed by haters, but like the character she plays in her new movie, Anne Hathaway says shes putting her own Joy first
SUSSEXES' AFRICAN ADVENTURE
Meghan and Harry took Nigeria by storm – but relations with the royal family remain icy
