Hate crime is in season

The fruit farming community of Ceres will take to the streets today in protest over a fatal, allegedly homophobic, attack that has kept the sleepy Western Cape town wide awake for the past fortnight.

David Olyne, 22, was bludgeoned and burned to death in the area last month. His charred remains were found in a dilapidated pump house on a farm outside Ceres last week, his limbs tied with wire.

Olyne's alleged attacker is said to have invited children nearby to watch him kill a "moffie".

Christo Oncker, 28, has been charged with murder and will apply for bail in the Ceres Magistrate's Court today.

The killing has shaken the gay community in the area, with some saying that many residents of the town are still "intolerant" of gay people.

One of Olyne's close friends, Kenith Abrahams, said yesterday that this was the third time that a gay had been killed in the area since 2000.

"Around 2000 a gay person was killed in a similar way, another one was stabbed to death, but was not burned, and another gay guy was raped recently," said Abrahams.

"We endure verbal attacks on the streets daily. One of our lesbian friends was called a moffie at work just yesterday."

Olyne was buried at his home in Williston, Northern Cape, on Sunday.

He had worked at the Family Food and Meat Market, in Ceres, for four years. His manager, Heather Muller, described him as a "jolly" person who always stayed out of trouble.

She "could not fathom" why he was murdered.

"He was a friendly person; he lit up the workplace every morning," said Muller.

"He would burst into song, turn up the radio and make me coffee."

Muller said Olyne's colleagues would take part in the march.

Mark Mentor, founder of the Hero Trust, which organised the march, said the trust wanted to raise awareness about serious crime in the area. He said hate crimes would not be tolerated.

"Ceres is a nice place to retire to but bad things are now happening in small towns like this," said Mentor.

"The Hero Trust wants to raise awareness about the lack of counselling for victims of crime.

"We call on Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini to prioritise counselling for women and children. She must think about the children who saw this murder."