Cape Town - She travelled more than 500km from Williston in the Northern Cape to Ceres on Thursday to come face to face with her son’s murderer for the first time. Maria Olyne’s son David was murdered because he was gay.
Sentencing procedures for his killer, Christo Oncke, began in a packed Circuit High Court in Ceres.
A witness had testified that in March 2014, Oncke had invited him and two other teenagers drinking at a dam in Bella Vista to watch him “kill a moffie”.
On Thursday Maria, 50, sat behind Oncke, who stood in the dock. Before sentencing proceedings started, Maria broke down several times, and struggled to move or look and talk to anyone.
“It feels like yesterday that my son was taken away from me,” she managed to finally whisper.
David’s charred body was found on March 23, 2014. The 23-year-old’s hands and feet had been tied with wire.
Oncke had testified that on March 22, 2014, he and a friend were walking when David approached them to ask for a cigarette.
The three walked together and when Oncke’s friend left them, Oncke said David had made a sexual pass at him.
The two then had an altercation and Oncke admitted that he punched David five times and kicked him on the shoulder when he fell. David fought back, but Oncke denied killing him.
But the court found him guilty and when the judgment was delivered, Oncke seemed unperturbed and smirked a few times.
Judge Siraj Desai then postponed sentencing to allow time for a psychological assessment of Oncke. The matter was postponed twice to allow time for the report, and Maria was disappointed when it was delayed for a third time.
Oncke’s legal representative, advocate Gerrit Badenhorst, told the court the application to the Justice Department’s head office in Pretoria for a psychologist had not been approved yet, although the financial forms in Cape Town were signed and successful.
Badenhorst asked for another postponement, saying he was notified that a psychologist would be available to meet Oncke in August.
State prosecutor advocate Ntsoaki Mabilietse argued against this, saying the court had wasted enough time. Mabilietse said it was also important to consider the public’s interest.
“The court is full every time the case is heard and people take off from work to be here. It is also a waste of the State’s money. We had to bring the deceased’s mother here and find her accommodation,” Mabilietse argued.
But Judge Desai said it was in the interest of justice that the court be given a psychological report on Oncke.
“The crime is very serious and the accused faces life in jail… It is crucial that the accused’s personal circumstances are presented to court.”
The matter was postponed to October 11 for sentencing and Oncke will remain in custody.
Outside the court, Maria said her son had come to Cape Town to work and save money to study fashion design.
“He (Oncke) looks just like what the newspapers show. Since my son’s death not one day has gone by that I don’t think about him. The family is struggling and I don’t think I will ever get over this.”
Cape Times