The man accused of kidnapping eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk from Ravensmead has been arrested in Cradock, approximately 800km from Cape Town. Moehydien Pangaker (54) was taken into custody by the Western Cape Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit working in conjunction with Crime Intelligence.
Cradock police are appealing to the local community to come forward with any information they may have on Tazne’s whereabouts. Spokesperson Lariane Jonker from Cradock police confirmed Pangaker’s arrest on Monday, February 16.
On Thursday, February 13, the Western Cape’s Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, put out a reward of R10 000 for any viable information on the Tazne’s whereabouts, or information on Pangaker.
Tazne has been missing since Friday, February 7, and the community of Ravensmead has experienced unrest as a result. On Wednesday, February 13, riots broke out in Ravensmead amid misinformation of the suspect’s whereabouts causing upheaval and damage to infrastructure.
Fritz has called on communities to support the police in their investigation and not to respond to any information through acts of vigilantism.
The girl’s mother previously revealed her daughter was allegedly spotted in a taxi with the man who is believed to be her kidnapper, on the day she went missing. Police identified Pangaker as a person of interest.
Picture: Twitter