Cape Town – A white coffin adorned with pink and purple flowers held the body of slain Heinz Park teen Janika Mallo, who was buried at the weekend.
Scores of people, including her former Northwood Primary School peers, dressed in their uniforms and her family in T-shirts with her face printed on came together in an outpouring of grief and respect at the Colorado Park New Apostolic Church on Saturday.
The 14-year-old’s half-naked body was found in her grandmother’s backyard on September 1 after she had gone to karaoke to support a local soccer club the previous night.
Her family believes she was gang-raped before being bashed repeatedly with a concrete block on her head.
Last Thursday her accused rapists and killers, a minor and an 18-year-old, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court. They remain in custody and will appear for a bail application on Wednesday.
Janika’s aunt, Ellicia Martin, 35, said: “The funeral was very difficult for us her family, her friends and everyone who came to support us. If it hurts like this for us, I can’t imagine how her parents are feeling.
“They have been robbed of an opportunity to see their little girl grow up into a wonderful woman. We now have to be strong for them as we prepare for the next court appearance. We are truly thankful for everyone who is standing with us.”
Northwood Primary School where Janika was in Grade 6 said in a social media post that it had been an emotionally draining week for its pupils and teachers.
Meanwhile, religious leaders from across the Cape Flats held an open air interfaith service in Parow yesterday for victims of femicide, including first-year UWC theology student Jesse Hess.
Hess, 19, and her 85-year-old grandfather, Chris Lategan ,were killed in their Parow home at the end of last month. A march calling for justice and arrests moved from the SAPS Parow to Hess’s home.
The march came as President Cyril Ramaphosa called a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday to discuss a new approach to combating violence against women.
Ramaphosa’s call for an extraordinary sitting comes in the wake of a surge of violence against women and children.
It also comes as police released the annual crime statistics in Parliament on Thursday that showed a total of 179 683 crimes against women and 45 229 against children were reported in the 2018/19 financial year.