Charges after Rene’s school friend is attacked

The Lavender Hill community bayed for blood in search of Rene-Tracy Roman. Picture: Daily Voice

The Lavender Hill community bayed for blood in search of Rene-Tracy Roman. Picture: Daily Voice

Published Mar 28, 2017

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Cape Town – Family of a 13-year-old girl in Lavender Hill have laid charges after their home was damaged and the girl assaulted, allegedly by residents and police who believed she knew the whereabouts of murdered Rene-Tracy Roman.

The Grade 6 girl was a classmate of Rene's, whose body was found in a neighbour’s backyard last Tuesday.

Monday was the first time in two weeks that the 13-year-old has been back at Levana Primary School.

The frightened teen and her family say they have been living in fear, claiming their home in Constitution Court was attacked by an angry mob days after Rene, 13, disappeared.

The family’s front door, bedroom door and toilet were damaged on March 12.

The girl’s mother claims the murder suspect, Andrew Plaatjies, 50, was among the mob.

Plaatjies is to make his next appearance at the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on April 4.

The mother says Steenberg police bundled her into a van and assaulted her at the cop shop.

Rene disappeared on March 10.

Damage at the Constitution Court home. Picture: Daily Voice

A cleaner found the child’s tied-up body hidden under a mat in a shack at the back of Plaatjies’ girlfriend’s home in St Agatha Crescent in Montague Village

The shaken girl says rumours spread that she was the last one seen with Rene.

“A boy was telling people that he saw us together after school,” she says.

“It was about two days after she went missing when the police took me to the police station and they kept on asking me what do I know, where she is.

“I told them I do not know anything and that I last saw her at school.

“The one police officer hit me with a book in the face and said I was lying.”

The mother says community members threatened to burn her child as they stormed their home on March 12.

“Hulle het gesê hulle gaan haar uitbrand en hulle gaan haar vrek maak (They said they wanted to set her alight and kill her),” she says.

“We were inside the house when they rushed in and we hid in the bathroom. They broke our doors and toilet.”

She says Plaatjies was part of the mob.

“He had this big cellphone in his hand and was showing me [Rene’s] picture and asked if I knew anything.”

“We have been left traumatised by what had happened.”

Community leader, Charmaine Josephs, who assisted the family in opening a case, has demanded an apology from the community and police.

“I took the family to the Station Commander because this child is traumatised,” she says.

“The doors and toilet need to be repaired. There has been no apology from anyone, and we don’t want this to happen behind closed doors; they must do it in public.

Steenberg Station Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Alexander, says a criminal case for the damages was registered for investigation last week after his intervention.

A memorial service will be held for Rene on Thursday night and she will be buried on Saturday.

Daily Voice

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