Cape Town - A 55-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of 10-year-old Denecka Persence from Macassar who went missing earlier this month and was later found dead in a canal.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said the man would appear in the Somerset Magistrate’s Court today on charges of kidnapping and murder.
While the man’s identity is being withheld until he appears in court, the community said he is known and the family is familiar with him.
The community filled the Macassar Secondary School hall last Saturday to bid their final goodbyes to Denecka who was later buried in the Somerset West graveyard.
Presence’s body was discovered in a canal in Marvin Park next to the N2 on March 12 after a search party that started immediately after she was reported missing the previous day. Her body was found in between reeds, with a tyre on top of it.
Denecka was last seen at a shop between the J, K and L Flats in the area where her grandmother stays.
She had left her grandmother’s house in the morning and was seen sitting near the taxi rank on Musica Avenue waiting for her parents to drive past as they went to the hospital.
In preparation for the man’s court appearance, the community has started a petition persuading the court to deny him bail.
Greater Macassar Civic Association member Auriel September said the petition would be submitted to the investigating officer today.
“We don’t want him back in our community. We want the court to understand we will protest until they call Pops (Public Order Police) should he be granted bail.
“He will go back to Pollsmoor tomorrow (Wednesday) as it's his first court appearance and will only apply for bail on his second appearance, but we want the court to know from the get-go that the community does not want him back to the community,” she said.
Anti-gender-based violence (GBV) activist, Wassemah Flaendorp said they welcomed the arrest and that they were mobilising the community to show support to Denecka’s parents.
Flaendorp said anti-gender-based violence activists would do anything in their power to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in the area.
“She died a terrible death and she was only 10-years-old and we believe that justice must be served. It's not right that all children must stay inside and can't play freely outside. And to think something like this happened at our doorstep, that a monster like this is within our community is infuriating,” she said.