It was hot, airless and excruciatingly tense - and that was even before the judge entered the courtroom.
Oscar Pistorius, formerly known solely for his extraordinary feats as a double amputee athlete, arrived at Pretoria's High Court as an accused murderer.
He knew that by the end of the day, he might not walk out the front door at all.
It has been six months since Pistorius' murder trial began, with the high-profile athlete accused of deliberately shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of February 14 last year.
As he arrived to learn his fate on Thursday, the pressure of the 41-day trial appeared etched on his face.
Emotional, drained and rigid with fear, he was indeed on trial for his life.
The unwavering support of his family was again on display, led by his uncle Arnold and younger sister Aimee.
Their elder brother Carl arrived in a wheelchair from hospital, having sustained near-fatal injuries in a car crash last month.
He told reporters he was determined to be at Oscar's side when the athlete needed him most.
On the other side of the court room, Reeva's parents June and Barry Steenkamp, chose to honour their daughter with a dignified silence.
Somebody had handed Mrs Steenkamp a bunch of flowers, and they sat for a few minutes in full view, before being removed from view.
Promptly at 9.30am, Judge Thokozile Masipa, the woman who held Pistorius' fate in her hands, appeared to grow in confidence as she read her carefully prepared judgment.
But, as she did so, Pistorius looked increasingly as though he might need to use the green bucket that had been discreetly placed alongside him in the dock.
He had used it before. The stress and emotion of the day threatened to consume him.
But the judge's pronouncement that she would not find him guilty of murder broke his composure in an entirely different way.
The tears that had gently run down his cheeks for some time gave way to sobs as he collapsed forward, head on his arms, with sheer relief.
He may have been negligent, his actions unreasonable but he was not guilty of murder.
For the Blade Runner, it was vindication of sorts. The judge believed him. And while many around South Africa and the world may not, it is only her verdict that counts. For now, anyway.
Much has been made of Pistorius' fall from grace since Valentine's Day last year, but as the judgment continued on Thursday, it was hard not to realise such hyperbole means nothing to the Steenkamps.
They don't care if Pistorius has lost millions of dollars in endorsements and his career - his athletic achievements are all but forgotten.
He took her life - intentionally or otherwise - in the most terrifying way.
Their daughter, Reeva Steenkamp, is never coming home.
The last minutes of her life must have been horrific.
As one cab driver noted on Thursday morning, it wasn't just Pistorius on trial, but South Africa's justice system.
Only time will tell if Judge Masipa's judgments withstand the inevitable appeals that will be lodged.
But for now, at least, Pistorius is not a murderer.
