Public outrage greeted news that Van Wyk's killer was a parolee when the child disappeared from a tuck shop in Elsies River, Cape Town, on February 7 2020.
He had been released after serving half of a 10-year sentence for culpable homicide and kidnapping, at the time he killed Tazne.
He had absconded from correctional service authorities a year before killing the child.
A postmortem showed that Van Wyk had been raped. It also found that “the removal of the hand and wrist were done with a straight cut and not with surgical precision”. The accused had cut off Van Wyk's hand in an attempt to get rid of evidence after she scratched him.
President Cyril Ramaphosa previously apologised to the child's family, telling residents of Elsies River: “He should never have been released on parole. It’s quite clear to us that a big mistake was made in having him released on parole — because after he was released on parole, he came out and committed murder.
“That shows that there is something wrong with our parole [system].”
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Nine life terms for 'monster' who killed Tazne van Wyk
Image: Sunday Times/Esa Alexander
The former parolee convicted of raping and murdering eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk in a gruesome crime leading to public outrage in Cape Town was on Tuesday sentenced to nine life terms behind bars.
Described by senior state advocate Lenro Badenhorst — in his argument in aggravation of sentence — as a monster who could not be tolerated in a civilised community, he was ultimately convicted on 21 charges.
They included eight counts of rape of children, sexual assault and sexual exploitation of children, several counts of assault of children, kidnapping, incest, desecration of a corpse and absconding from parole. Four of the charges related to the death of Van Wyk.
TimesLIVE is not naming him, to protect the identity of related victims.
Image: CHANGE.ORG
Public outrage greeted news that Van Wyk's killer was a parolee when the child disappeared from a tuck shop in Elsies River, Cape Town, on February 7 2020.
He had been released after serving half of a 10-year sentence for culpable homicide and kidnapping, at the time he killed Tazne.
He had absconded from correctional service authorities a year before killing the child.
A postmortem showed that Van Wyk had been raped. It also found that “the removal of the hand and wrist were done with a straight cut and not with surgical precision”. The accused had cut off Van Wyk's hand in an attempt to get rid of evidence after she scratched him.
President Cyril Ramaphosa previously apologised to the child's family, telling residents of Elsies River: “He should never have been released on parole. It’s quite clear to us that a big mistake was made in having him released on parole — because after he was released on parole, he came out and committed murder.
“That shows that there is something wrong with our parole [system].”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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