The Cell Door Closes: Tazne van Wyk’s Killer Dies in Prison

Moyhdian Pangkaeker, the man whose name became synonymous with one of South Africa’s most harrowing child murders, has died behind bars. The Department of Correctional Services confirmed that Pangkaeker, who was serving nine life terms, died in his sleep on Tuesday at the Brandvlei Maximum Centre near Worcester.

His death brings a dark and somber close to the legal chapter of a case that horrified the nation and exposed catastrophic failures in the parole system.

A Nation’s Grief Remembered

Pangkaeker’s death instantly dredges up the painful memories of February 2020, when eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk vanished after popping out to a tuck shop in Connaught Estate. For almost two weeks, the country held its breath, clinging to hope during a desperate search.

That hope was shattered when Pangkaeker, who had quickly become a person of interest, led authorities to a stormwater drain outside Worcester. There, they found Tazne’s small body. The court would later hear the devastating details: she had been raped, beaten to death with a blunt object, and her hand had been severed.

A Long History of Violence

Pangkaeker’s conviction in October 2022 was for a staggering list of crimes, including murder, multiple counts of rape, kidnapping, and violating a corpse. But the trial also revealed a terrifying truth: he should never have been on the streets to commit this crime.

His criminal history was a long and violent tapestry dating back to the 1980s, including prior convictions for culpable homicide, abduction, and assault. Most critically, he had absconded from parole in 2015. His subsequent re-release and supervision until 2019 represented a systemic failure with the most tragic of consequences.

For Tazne’s family and a community that mourned her at a funeral attended by thousands, Pangkaeker’s death offers no solace, only a grim and final punctuation mark to a story defined by unimaginable loss and a little girl whose life was brutally stolen.

{Source: Citizen}

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