The Elsies River Community Police Forum has once again sounded the alarm over extended court cases, saying undue delays pose a further risk and trauma to victims.
The CPF’s Gender Based Violence Committee was among those protesting outside the Goodwood Magistrate court on Tuesday, where a 54-year-old Matroosfontein man reappeared for the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl.
The community was outraged last month, after the suspect was released on R5 000 bail. CPF Chairperson Chief Hamish Arries said the child is traumatised after seeing the suspect near her home, despite bail conditions forbidding him from entering the area.
Aries noted that the community is still reeling from previous cases, insisting that crimes inflicted on children should be prioritized.
“The fact that the court is still waiting on evidence, causing delays in getting this matter to trial is unacceptable. The Community of Elsies River has experienced too much trauma regarding sexual offences involving children especially the Courtney Pieters and Tasne van Wyk cases, therefore we expect these types of crimes to be prioritized,” pressed Arries.
Mortimer Saunders’ was sentenced to two life terms a year after raping and murdering three-year-old Courtney Pieters, after her decomposing body was found in Epping Industrial area in 2017.
The trial of Moheden Pangaker, who faces more than 20 charges relating to the 2019 murder of the area’s eight-year-old Tazne Van Wyk, was meanwhile postponed once again on Tuesday. The 56-year-old led police to her body in a storm water drain a week after she went missing from her home in Clare court.
The case against the latest rape-accused was postponed to 30 September 2022.
VOC
