17 October 2014
The trial of Christo Oncker, 28, accused of the murder of a gay man in Ceres in April, is to be moved to the Western Cape High Court, magistrate Japie Mapomie said in the Ceres magistrate’s court on Thursday.
David Olyn, 21, was beaten, raped and set on fire.
Mapomie said Oncker’s lawyer had asked for a new bail hearing.
Oncker was not granted bail when he appeared in the Ceres court on June 13.
The bail hearing will be on October 29.
Members of the Witzenburg Rural Development Centre with Sonke Gender Justice and Housing Assembly women’s movement held a protest outside the court protesting against slow police work. Several protesters wore tortoise outfits.
Protesters said that police had been slow with the OIyn investigation.
Protesters demonstrating outside the Ceres Magistrate Court, calling government officials tortoises. Photo by Pharie Sefali.
Thomis said it was not acceptable that after so many months, no police member had spoken to the family or questioned witnesses to the crime.
“We call the police tortoises because they take time to do their jobs properly. Everyone in the community knows that Oncker was not alone when the murder happened and there are witnesses but nothing is been done about that”.
“ We all do not understand how the investigation happened. When we asked the investigating officer, he said people should come forward if they have information. But then he did not follow up”, said Thomis.
Lional Haywood, the investigating officer,was not available for comment.
Other protesters said that the David Olyn case was just one example of poor treatment by government officials.
A member of the Housing Assembly said people did not get houses because officials were slow with the paperwork and there were complaints about health and other social issues.