A stab wound to the neck claimed the life of Diego Jacobs, a young man from Delft in Cape Town.
A 20-year-old man is suspected of carrying out this horrific murder. For months prior to Jacob’s tragic demise, the suspect tormented him for his decision to identify as gay.
The 21-year-old died early on Saturday morning in the informal settlement of Empolweni, also known as Covid in Delft, Cape Town.
The Delft police are looking into the incident’s circumstances and the attacker’s motivation.
Police spokesperson in the Western Cape, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi, confirmed to Sunday World on Friday that a 20-year-old man has been taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
Stab wound to the neck
Swartbooi said: “Delft police responded to a complaint in the early hours of Saturday, February 3.
“Upon arrival near the Empolweni informal settlement, police found the body of a 21-year-old male who sustained a stab wound to his neck. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel.”
In addition, he urged anyone with information that could help the police in their investigation to give Crime Stop a call at 08600 10111.
The late Jacob’s family feels that his sexual orientation was a factor in his death.
This week, images of the late Jacobs have been trending on social media under the hashtag #notogenderbaseviolence. The graphic event that took Jacob’s life was also described in an Instagram post.
The post states that the incident happened after midnight when Diego and two female friends went to a shebeen to buy dop (alcohol).
Reads the post: “Diego walked into the suspect and they almost got into a fight, then the two friends said Diego must leave it, and they continued to walk.
“The suspect then turned around and stabbed Diego in the neck, swore at him, and told him, ‘jou moffie’ [you gay]. The knife broke off in his neck.
Previous altercations
“The suspect is not a stranger because he and Diego had previous altercations where he threatened Diego and said, ‘jy sal sien, ek gaan jou kry [I promise that I will get you].
“But Diego didn’t take it seriously, although he knew that not a lot of people are accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“A family member told the media that they [the deceased and the suspect] used to live opposite each other, and that he didn’t like Diego. He would always call Diego die lelike moffie [the ugly gay].”
During the presentation of his eighth State of the Nation Address on Thursday night in Cape Town, President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke about the safety of the LGBTQI community.
“We have protected and advanced the rights of members of the LGBTQI community and continue to combat all forms of prejudice and intolerance,” Ramaphosa said.
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