By Robin-Lee Francke 
2h ago
Cape Town – The family of slain Tazne van Wyk were left heartbroken at the Western Cape High Court on Monday after hearing that the murder trial has been postponed until May 2022.
The 8-year-old girl from Connaught Estate in Ravensmead went missing on February 7, 2020, after she left her home to buy a ice lolly at the local shop a few metres from her home.
Her 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 the police.
Previous court proceedings revealed that the young girl had been raped and bashed to death, and her hand had been cut off.
Pangaker faces 20 charges, including murder, multiple charges of rape, sexual assault, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
Some of the charges he faces date back to 2016.
Speaking to African News Agency (ANA) at court, Tazne’s parents were devastated at yet another postponement of the trial.
Her father, Terence Manuel, said it was unacceptable that his daughter’s case kept being postponed.
“I am deeply upset about this postponement,” he said.
Manuel said it was as if Pangaker’s feelings were more important than those of a grieving family.
“They ask him (Pangaker) questions. If he says it’s fine then so be it. But we don’t get told anything. Our child was taken away. A family is in mourning,” Tazne’s mother, Carmen van Wyk, told ANA.
Van Wyk said no one could explain to them why the case was being postponed continually.
“It just gets postponed and we must just accept it. Look there, we have to wait a whole year now,” Van Wyk said.
Manuel said he cannot sleep at night.
“I cannot even sleep properly at night. I could not sleep for this whole year, so now, another year. Now what? They all sleep nicely in their warm beds, with security. What do they think of us?” Manuel asked.
African News Agency (ANA)
Credit IOL