Sex workers and members of gay and lesbian organisations are expected to attend a memorial service on Saturday for the eight men murdered at Sizzlers, the gay brothel in Sea Point.
The service is being organised by the Sea Point branch of the African National Congress together with the Holy Redeemer Anglican parish, the Equality Project, the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) and the Triangle Project.
Sea Point ANC chairperson Clayton Wakeford said they were still awaiting confirmation that either Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo
or a Western Cape MEC would attend.
Wakeford said the memorial will be a ”dignified marker” of the extreme and tragic events in Graham Road on Monday.
He said the fears and anger of the gay and lesbian community, sex workers, and the broader Sea Point community will be addressed. The sermon will be delivered by Rowan Smith, Dean of St George’s Cathedral. There will be brief addresses by each of the partnering hosts.
Police are expected to give an update of their investigation.
The funeral service for Sizzlers owner Aubrey Eric Otgaar (56) will be held at the St Anthony’s Catholic Church in Kraaifontein at 11am on Thursday. This was confirmed by Otgaar’s brother Tony who said Aubrey had attended the Kraaifontein church in the past.
Three other men have been formally identified. They are Travis Reade, (20) Marius Meyer (21) and Sergio de Castro (22) all of whom moved to Cape Town from Gauteng, the Cape Times reported on Thursday.
Police representative Captain Etienne Terblanche said the identities of seven of the victims were known to investigators but police were not ready to release their names. He was not prepared to comment further.
Terblanche said four of the victims had been identified from their ID books while three others were identified by family members.
Two other victims were still being treated in Groote Schuur Hospital. One was in a critical condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit while the other was reported to be stable.
Terblanche said police were probing the possibility that the murders were linked to drugs.
Terblanche refused to confirm that two men who they believe could help them in the investigation had been questioned.
He said he was aware of newspaper reports that police had interviewed two sex workers, known as Stephen and Maroewaan, in connection with the murders.
Ten men were shot in the back of the head and several had their throats slit in the brothel about 4am on Monday.
Police were still looking for the four occupants of a white BMW seen leaving the scene.
Meanwhile the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GLA) cancelled its fifth national congress which was to have started in Cape Town on Wednesday.
The GLA which says it is registered with the Independent Electoral Commission as the political voice of ”lesbigay” (Lesbian, gay, bisexual) South Africa, said in a statement a new date, and possible alternative host city, will be announced in due course.
”At a special meeting by phone on Wednesday morning, the national executive board (NEB) also ordered a total black out on all press statements regarding all matters with immediate effect,” the GLA said.
”We reserve the right not to disclose any reason (for the cancellation of the congress in Cape Town).
”Press releases will be issued when circumstances allow that, where reasons for the cancellation, will be made public.
”All NEB members are leaving the Western Cape with immediate effect,” the statement read.
It could not be established whether the cancellation of the GLA congress was due to the events at Sea Point. The party’s president Juan Uys could also not could not be reached for comment. – Sapa