Tazne murder suspect hides his face as he appears in court after near-riot

The man accused of kidnapping and murdering eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk appeared in court in Cape Town on Friday after a 90-minute delay caused by protesters' disruptions.

Moydine Pangarker walked into the dock at Goodwood magistrate's court with a long-sleeved shirt pulled up over his head.

The 54-year-old appeared to be in pain, and his legal aid lawyer said he had been instructed that injuries to the suspects arms, neck, ribs and left leg had been caused by "police action".

Members of the crowd who packed the court howled for Pangarker to show his face, but he kept his shirt over his head throughout his brief appearance.

Photographers were instructed not to take pictures of the accused.

When the case was adjourned until April 17, a disabled protester attempted to hit Pangarker's head with a crutch. Another onlooker threw a plastic bottle which narrowly missed him. There was no bail application.

Earlier, about 1,000 protesters blocked Voortrekker Road outside the court. Part of the crowd broke down the sliding gate, which was guarded by a handful of police officers.

They then forced open a door next to the turnstile at the court entrance and bypassed security measures as they stormed towards courtroom C.

In the hall outside the court, hundreds of protesters blocked all the entrances and exits. Police were soon forced to use their bodies to barricade the doors from the inside.

Van Wyk's father, Terence Manuel, appealed to the packed courtroom for calm so the appearance of Pangarker could go ahead.

Pangarker was arrested on Monday in Cradock, in the Eastern Cape, and appeared in court there the following day on a charge of kidnapping before being transported to Cape Town.

In Voortrekker Road, the crowd brandished placards objecting to the fact that Pangarker had been freed on parole before completing a 10-year prison sentence for culpable homicide in 2008.

Van Wyk was last seen on February 7 when she left her home in Connaught Estate, Elsies River, to buy an ice lolly at a nearby shop.

Her body was found in a storm water pipe in Worcester on Wednesday. It is believed to have been pointed out by Pangarker.

After his release on parole in October 2016, Pangarker was placed under correctional supervision at Ladismith Community Corrections Centre.

The correctional services department said a warrant of arrest was issued for him in February last year after he broke his parole conditions.

He was meant to appear at the Worcester magistrate's court on February 6 but did not arrive.