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| A young life snuffed out: David Olyn |
A 28-year-old man has been arrested for the brutal torture and killing of a gay man in South Africa. Even more disturbing, several teenagers, aged 14-18, stood by and watched the the unspeakable hate crime - even as the victim (21-year-old David Olyn) was set on fire by the suspect.
Mamba Online reports:
CAPE TEENS WATCH AS GAY MAN BEATEN, SET ON FIRE
A young gay man has been brutally tortured and killed in a horror hate murder in the Western Cape.
The Son daily Afrikaans newspaper reported that 21-year-old David Olyn from Ceres was killed over the weekend while a group of teens blithely watched on.
Senior Reporter Maahir Pretorius told Mambaonline that his investigation had led him to seven individuals between the ages of 14 and 16 and one of 18 years who apparently witnessed Olyn’s nightmarish death.
On Saturday evening, the youths from the Belle Vista neighbourhood were drinking near a local dam when they were invited by a man to watch how he was “going to kill a moffie [fag].”
They arrived on the scene where they found the victim already covered in blood and tied up with wire.
The teens were urged to watch as the alleged attacker bashed Olyn on the head with a brick and jumped on his face while shouting in Afrikaans, “voetsek” ["fuck off"].
Throughout the ordeal, Olyn only made groaning noises, said the teenagers. The alleged killer then placed branches around the victim and set him on fire.
Shockingly, the young witnesses wandered off without telling anyone about the incident. They returned to the scene the next morning to see if Olyn was still alive.
Only then did they inform a woman about the lifeless and half-naked burnt body. She in turn called the police.
When Pretorius visited the area he met with the witnesses and was shocked by how little impact the incident appeared to have had on them.
“I spoke to those kids and they were kicking a ball around and I though that perhaps they needed help or counselling, but this was nothing new for them. They are exposed to violence on a daily basis,” he told Mambaonline.
Pretorius noted that Olyn was well known as a gay man in the area and had participated in local drag pageants. A friend described the victim as a “gentle” person and said that he did not deserve to die in that manner.
The alleged murderer was arrested on Sunday by the police.
Responding to news of the appaling crime, Johan Meyer, Health Manager at OUT LGBT Well-being, said that he was “extremely sad and shocked, to say the least, to hear of yet another senseless murder of a gay person, simply because he or she is ‘different’,” adding that “we mourn the snuffing out of another young life.”
Meyer said that the alleged killer’s words of “going to kill a moffie” indicate that the murder was clearly a hate crime. He called on the authorities to take strong action against the alleged perpetrator.
“We further urge the police investigators to be vigilant and thorough in their investigation, and to make sure that justice will be served. No stone should be left unturned to make sure that this particular case will not become just another statistic. This is a hate crime, and should be treated as such.”
OUT has forwarded details of the case to the Department of Justice.
According to the Independent Online, local activists have denounced the heinous murder.
‘Teens invited to watch gay murder’
Cape Town - A 28-year-old man from Belle Vista, near Ceres, is to return to court on Thursday in connection with the murder of David Olyn – a gay man.
Police spokesman Andre Traut said on Thursday that the man was arrested on Sunday after 21-year-old Olyn was tortured and killed.
“The man appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of murder,” said Traut.
“He was remanded and will appear again on April 3.”
“The teens were urged to watch as the alleged attacker bashed Olyn on the head with a brick and jumped on his face,” Mambaonline reported.
Funeka Soldaat, founder of Free Gender, a human rights and black lesbian organisation, said the killing of Olyn marked a sad time for gays and lesbians.
“South Africa is a scary place for gays and lesbians to be,” she said.
“It is disturbing to hear the way in which people are killed because of their sexual orientation. Sadly, homophobia will never go away.”
Soldaat has appealed to political parties to invest more money in raising awareness of homophobia.
“I am concerned about the future of our communities if we continue to harbour so much hate.
“Homosexuality will never go away.”
The Justice Department would monitor the case, its regional head, Hishaam Mohamed, said.
“We are confident that all processes will get followed and justice will prevail,” Mohamed said.
“The department strongly condemns all acts of violence against gays and lesbians.”
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