Tazne van Wyk funeral: Bheki Cele asks why there was no mercy

Police Minister Bheki Cele took to the podium at the funeral of eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk. He asked the community why there was no mercy from her murder accused. 

“Surely she [Tazne van Wyk] had asked to be let go,” he said in front of many mourners at the Uniting Reformed Church in Elsies River. 

Cele, provincial police management, Cape Town mayor Dan Plato, as well as Western Cape Provincial Minister of Health Nomafrench Mbombo were all in attendance. 

Mbombo said government systems failed the eight-year-old.  

Van Wyk disappeared in Elsies River on her way to a nearby tuckshop on Friday 7 February. The main suspect by the name of Moehydien Pangaker was later arrested in the Eastern Cape. On his return to the Western Cape, he led police to Van Wyk’s body in a stormwater pipe near Worcester. 

Pangaker was out on parole with 11 convictions to his name at the time of Van Wyk’s death. 

Van Wyk will be laid to rest at the Modderdam Cemetery on Saturday. 

Community gathers for Van Wyk’s funeral 

Footage of Van Wyk’s funeral has been making its rounds on social media and understandably so. 

According to reports, Halt Road in Elsies River is packed to capacity with community members that would like to pay their last respects to the innocent girl and to support the bereaved family. 

According to EWN, funeral organiser Joe Hendricks said outside seating with screens, sound equipment and additional ablution facilities have been arranged since the church can only accommodate 600 people.

“We have seating for 3 000 but we expect 5 000 plus,” he said. 

A group of young children also paid tribute by singing for Van Wyk.

Unrest after another case of gender-based violence 

After countless acts of gender-based violence that has swept the nation at an alarming rate in the last year — furious community members have had enough. To make matters worse, it points to a failed correctional system where many prisoners are being released on parole just to commit another crime — Pangaker an example of this.

Pangaker appeared at the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Friday 21 February. His case was later postponed to 17 April for further investigation into Van Wyk’s death.

Van Wyk’s untimely death was the last straw — as members of the community — are alleged to have forced their way into the court.