Cape Town – The trial against the man alleged to have murdered a Cape Town girl was set to begin in the Western Cape High Court on Monday, however, after request for a postponement, the matter has been set down for Wednesday.
Appearing in the dock, a scrawny Moehydien Pangaker, wearing a grey jacket and black mask, seemed to have aged rapidly during this time behind bars.
Pangaker faces three counts of common assault, two counts of kidnapping, 11 counts of rape, a charge of murder, sexual assault, incest and violation or desecration of a corpse.
Of the charges he faces, some date back to 2016.
He made headlines after he allegedly kidnapped raped and murdered Tazne van Wyk.
The 8-year-old girl from Connaught Estate in Ravensmead went missing on February 7, 2020 after she left her home to buy a sucker (popsicle) at the local shop a few metres from her home.
The young girl’s body was found 12 days later in a stormwater drain along the N1 highway in Worcester.
Her body was only found after her alleged murderer, Moehydien Pangaker, pointed it out to police.
Previous court proceedings revealed the young girl was raped, bashed to death and her hand was cut off.
The matter was before the court after a year-long postponement.
Tazne’s murder caused a national outcry for police to step up their game and keep children safe from predators.
According to Pangaker’s defence, he asked the court for a postponement to further consult with his client.
It is alleged at the time of the incident, Pangaker was out on parole.
The court heard that Pangaker's previous lawyer, advocate Morne Calitz, was unavailable to take on the matter and the accused was thus appointed a new lawyer.
The lawyer was assigned last week.
The matter has been postponed until Wednesday.
IOL