Added charges for alleged child killer
THE trial of the man accused of the brutal murder of 8-year-old Tazne van Wyk of Elsies River will commence tomorrow after the matter was postponed in the Western Cape High Court yesterday.
The National Prosecuting Authority has confirmed seven more charges have been added to the list of 20 that Moehydien Pangaker will be facing, bringing the number to 27.
He will be represented by advocate Saleem Halday, who requested time to consult with his client, while advocate Lenro Badenhorst has come on record for the State.
Pangaker is accused of the rape, kidnapping, murder, indecent assault, sexual grooming and sexual exploitation of 8-year-old Tazne van Wyk, whose body was found dumped in a stormwater drain in Worcester on February 19, 2020.
The little girl had gone missing on February 7, 2020 while on her way to the tuck shop a street away from her home in Elsies River.
Her body had been mutilated when they found her two days after Pangaker was arrested in Cradock, Eastern Cape.
It is the State’s case that Pangaker lured the little girl away and travelled on Connaught Road to Parow Station. He then allegedly took her to Worcester, where she was raped and killed. Pangaker faces other charges of rape, assault, kidnapping, incest and sexual assault dating back to 2016. He had been convicted and sentenced before on several offences but was released on parole.
Gender-based violence activist Celesthea Pierang said the justice system failed in not informing the community of his previous convictions.
“The justice system is failing us every minute of the day. If they told the community that this person was eligible for parole, we would have gone through the extra measures, but we as the community are not even informed about these horrific types of people who are let out.”
The Mitchell’s Plain Crisis Forum, which had been part of the search for Tazne at the time of her disappearance, said its members had faith in the justice system.
Spokesperson Tanya Arendse said: “We feel very strongly about this case because we put our hearts on the line in searching for Tazne. We believe that there is going to be justice for Tazne.
“We just want this case to go quick, it has already been postponed for a year. The justice system needs to step up its game because it’s previous offenders who are killing our children.”