'ANC hijacked Sizzlers memorial service'

The sole surviving victim of the massacre at a gay massage parlour in Cape Town last week was in a stable condition in the Groote Schuur Hospital on Monday, a hospital official said.

Spokesperson Belinda Jacobs said the man, whose identity has not been released, was not being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU).

"He is not well yet and I don't know how long he will remain in hospital," Jacobs said.

The patient is under police guard.

On Friday night the ninth victim, Gregory Berghaus, 43, died in the hospital's ICU.

The ten men were all tied up and shot in the back of the head at Sizzlers massage parlour. Most of them had their throats slit.

The identities of all but one of the victims have been released. Police Superintendent Neville Malila said police knew the identity of the one victim but were still tracing his next of kin.

Malila denied a Cape Town morning report on Monday that police would be posting a substantial reward for information on the whereabouts of four men seen leaving the crime scene in a BMW last Monday.

Malila said no decision had yet been taken on whether to offer a reward. He added that in terms of the investigation there was "nothing new".

"Detectives are working flat-out on the case and the investigation is continuing."

Meanwhile, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance said a service held at the Holy Redeemer Anglican Church in Sea Point for the victims on Saturday had been "hijacked" by the African National Congress.

The service was arranged by the ANC, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Project, the Sex Workers' Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) and the Triangle Project.

Prominent among those at the service was Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo.

GLA media director David Baxter said what was supposed to be a respectful memorial service for family and friends, became "political window-dressing" for the ANC.

Baxter said GLA president Juan Duval Uys and first vice president Joe Chauke attended the memorial service in their private capacity but left in protest when ANC officials in election T-shirts took the stage.

ANC Sea Point branch spokesperson Clayton Wakeford said on Monday the ANC had become involved in the memorial service because "large numbers of our members in Sea Point are gay and lesbian.

"The call for the memorial service came from our domestic worker constituency. There was no ANC statement at the memorial service at all."

Wakeford said only one person in an ANC T-shirt delivered a reading and he had not spoken as an ANC member but in his private capacity.

Wakeford agreed there was a large number of ANC members present at the memorial service.

"I need to question the GLA motives. They plastered their pamphlets all over the Graham Road house," he said in reference to where Sizzlers was situated.

"We don't know who they (the GLA) are. We are never able to contact them. They are running a media-driven campaign.

"The memorial service was the ANC's very sincere responsible to a terrible event in our ward," Wakeford said.

A large turnout is expected at St Mary's Cathedral in Cape Town on Monday when a requiem mass is held for victim Sergio de Castro. - Sapa