Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, Scorch-O-Rama: New Zealand Cafe Apologizes for Dead Girlfriend Joke

A New Zealand café has landed itself in a bit of hot water after printing an insensitive joke about the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, one-time girlfriend of troubled sprinter Oscar Pistorius, on its receipts.

Several angry customers complained about the Scorch-O-Rama receipts, causing news of them to go viral, and now the café's owner, Keith Morrison, has issued an apology.

"Sometimes our brains are the last thing to engage, when they should be the first," Morrison said. "We [apologize] again for any hurt or distress we caused people –– it was absolutely never our intention. People are saying, 'Are my staff in an environment that isn't safe?' Come on. It's ridiculous to infer that, but I understand."

The joke, which has since been removed from the receipts, read, "Oscar Pistorius was super keen to get a new bathroom door, but his girlfriend was dead against it," as reported by the Mirror.

Pistorius, of course, was recently found not guilty of Steenkamp's murder, although he was found guilty of manslaughter after shooting at her through a bathroom door.

Despite Morrison's apology, the damage has already been done, and several former Scorch-O-Rama patrons have made their outrage known on social media.

"Your 'joke' about the killing of a woman in an incident of domestic violence just ended our family tradition of starting and ending our rides around the peninsula at Scorching Bay," Anita Easton wrote on Facebook, according to the Mirror.

There have been similar messages of indignation all over Twitter.

Jeeze. What is WRONG with people. MT @curlsinmyhair: #scorchorama think a woman's death is worth laughing at? pic.twitter.com/xMWIrhvdsL

— Amy Shand (@amyherself) October 5, 2014

Morrison has since donated $1,000 to Women's Refuge, a safe-haven for women and children in Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand.