Moehydien Pangaker on Wednesday appeared at the Western Cape High Court where he was found guilty of the kidnapping, rape and murder of Tazne van Wyk in 2020.
The 57-year-old faced, who was on parole at the time of Tazne’s murder, faced charges of common assault, indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault, nine counts of rape, murder, two counts of kidnapping, child exploitation, incest, violating a corpse and absconding parole.
The majority of his offences were committed after he was released in 2016.
His other victims included his daughter as well as his granddaughter, who he tormented for years. He was found guilty of 21 of 25 remaining charges.
Pangaker pleaded not guilty to all counts. He claimed he and Tazne’ were kidnapped by foreigners, who killed her.
But the preceding judge in his case, Judge Alan Maher told the court that the accused knew Tazne’ was dead because he was the killer. He noted that the previosly convicted Pangaker had targeted victims who were all young girls, and he sexually assaulted all of them.
During the gruelling trial, 80 state witnesses tesified, 37 testified in court, of which some were conducted in camera.
“The only person who could have killed Tazné was the accused. He lured her away from her home and kidnapped her.”
Circumstantial evidence revealed that Pangaker kidnapped, raped and murdered the eight-year-old Tazne and desecrated her corpse. He chopped off her hand to conceal evidence.
Judge Maher ruled that the evidence found under Tazné’s nails linked Pangkaker to the crime and it is probable that Tazné spoke beyond the grave by bravely fighting for her life.
Tazne was last seen walking to a tuck shop near her Connaught Estate home in Elsies River, Western Cape in 2020. Her kidnapper was arrested a week later in Cradock in the Eastern Cape.
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