Johannesburg - Sunken eyes and pale, waxy skin. Burn marks and bruises covering his emaciated frame. A neck so thin it could barely hold up his head.
The spectre of death was looming over 15-year-old Raymond Buys, after he was subjected to months of torture, allegedly at the hands of his fellow camp-goers at the Echo Wild Game Rangers farm, a camp designed to turn “boys into men”.
But as the inquiry into Raymond’s 2011 death continued investigators revealed that the beatings and starvation were at the behest of the Vereeniging camp’s owner, Alex de Koker.
Allegedly beaten with hoses, chained to his bed, burnt, starved, then forced to eat his own faeces, Raymond’s stay at the camp was the stuff of nightmares.
But now, three years later, the case against De Koker and his young disciple, Michael Erasmus, looks set to finally come to an end.
Erasmus, who was only 18 years old at the time of Raymond’s stay at Echo Wild, and De Koker have been charged with murder, child abuse and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
De Koker was called to testify this week, and yesterday admitted he was negligent in taking care of Raymond.
He was under cross-examination by Erasmus’ lawyer, JJ Smit, when he admitted that some of the claims he provided for his unsuccessful bail application in 2011 were false.
Originally, De Koker said he had been “attending to Buys” and tried to seek medical attention for the ailing teenager. But yesterday, De Koker admitted he was negligent in not taking the 15-year-old to a doctor after he suffered a beating that left him with the head injury that eventually led to his death.
De Koker had also earlier claimed he had never been involved in any of the beatings and never assaulted Raymond, but yesterday he also admitted he had once struck the teenager with a belt.
Earlier this week, Women and Men Against Child Abuse sent out a release detailing the testimony of the state’s forensic pathologist, Dr Bozena Krysztofiak, who told the court of Raymond’s 40 injuries.
“There was evidence of a blunt force head injury, as described in wounds number 1 to 40. This leads to a vegetative state, along with bronchial pneumonia, which was the cause of death,” she explained.
According to Women and Men Against Child Abuse spokeswoman Tania Otto, the defence asked Krysztofiak if the wounds could have been self-inflicted, but she was firm in answering that this was highly unlikely.
On Thursday, De Koker took to the stand to try and explain how Raymond had died, painting himself as a caring camp counsellor who had no idea why the young man would inflict many of his injuries on himself.
De Koker had claimed in the past to have numerous recorded conversations with Raymond during his time at the camp, and read transcripts to the court. In these transcripts he claimed to have asked why Raymond had hurt himself, why he refused to eat and telling the boy, “We care about you.”
However, earlier this year, De Koker’s own son, Anthony van Niekerk, had testified, saying the recordings were staged, an attempt by his father to cover up his abuse.
On Thursday De Koker almost began crying when this was put to him in court, his voice quivering when he said his son despised him.
The camp owner said he wasn’t around for any of the beatings Raymond was subjected to, but upon hearing of the fights, began recording his conversations with the 15-year-old to make a “profile” that he could send to the boy’s mother.
According to De Koker, this was meant to be part of an effort to help push the boy in the right direction.
But yesterday Smit attacked De Koker over the alleged recordings.
“Those clips are all fake. Don’t even mention them to the court any more. You were negligent, that child was in your care,” he barked at De Koker.
De Koker maintained he was never present for any of the beatings Raymond sustained, and appeared to be trying to shift the blame to his co-accused.
“I think it’s a joke,” said Wilma Buys, Raymond’s mother outside the courthouse.
“I’m going to fall asleep listening to all these lies.”
Wilma is adamant De Koker and Erasmus were the ringleaders who allowed the bullying and torture at the camp that led to her son’s death.
But after years of court proceedings, Wilma said the state completing its own case this week had been a turning point, with the hope that De Koker would be found guilty rising within her.
- Saturday Star