Mourners share despair over 'unspeakable act of violence'
April 26, 2006 Edition 1
Babalo Ndenze
Family, friends and members of Cape Town's Jewish community packed the Albow Centre to pay tribute to actor Brett Goldin and his friend designer Richard Bloom at a moving memorial service yesterday evening.
Goldin, 28, and Bloom, 27, were last seen alive at a Camps Bay party on the night of April 15, before they were found shot execution-style, once in the back of the head, on a grass verge on the M5 near Mowbray.
Their joint funeral was held in Johannesburg on Friday.
In an emotional eulogy to his partner of six years, Bryan Hellmann said he had been with Bloom on the fateful night.
"If only I had known it was our last walk in the rain." he said.
"If only I had known I would never hear your voice again, I would have memorised everything you said."
Hellmann said when he was told of Bloom's death he had been "shocked and numb".
"I felt an overwhelming pain ... Richard (once) said he never knew what he would do if he lost me.
"The past week has left me feeling great despair."
In a statement read out at the service, the Jewish Board of Deputies "condemned the unspeakable act of violence".
Among those at the service were Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon and comedian Marc Lottering.
Nine people - eight men and a woman - held in connection with the murders are expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court today.
On Monday, two men were released after being taken into custody from a house in Rondebosch East on Sunday night for questioning.
Police said media reports alleging the motive for the murders could be drug-related were pure speculation and the provisional motive was robbery.
Anuska Anthony, 22, Suboir Davids, 20, and Mogamat Tyeyssen, 25, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Friday on a provisional charge of illegal possession of a firearm.
Shavaan Marlie, 25, Rameez Sayed, 23, and Clinton Davids, 23, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Friday on a provisional charge of being in possession of a stolen item.
The six are to appear with Trevino Cairncross, 22, Jade Wyngaard, 19, and Nurshad Davids, 20, in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court today on charges of murder.
