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:
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.
According to the Independent Online, local activists have denounced the heinous murder.
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.
The Justice Department is investigating the crime and have stated that "the department strongly condemns all acts of violence against gays and lesbians."
The suspect will go before a judge on April 3.
