A people's person and someone who always went the extra mile to help others – that is how slain magistrate Romay van Rooyen will be remembered.
Family members, friends and colleagues put aside their unanswered questions about why she was murdered when they bid farewell to the 53-year-old yesterday.
Hundreds of mourners filled Lentegeur New Apostolic church in Mitchells Plain.
Van Rooyen was found murdered in her home in Marina Da Gama in Muizenberg two weeks ago. Her vehicle was found abandoned in Mitchells Plain shortly after a relative discovered her body.
Van Rooyen was well known in the justice fraternity for the successful prosecution of Johannes de Jager in the double-murder of two teenagers in 2014.
Friend and colleague Advocate Evadne Kortjie from the National Prosecuting Authority fondly remembered how everyone always sought Van Rooyen’s advice before heading to court in big cases.
“She was the person who always had the best advice. She was our debriefing person. She knew how to listen and how to give direction.
“The best thing about her was that she could relate to any person, and that is what made her an outstanding state prosecutor.
“She loved her family immensely. Everyone knew it.”
Kortjie recalled the day she first met Van Rooyen, saying her personality changed the interpersonal dynamics in the office.
“I can say already (that) the offices are not the same without her.
“Romay was that one person who would always go home with a bag of work, because she wanted justice. She fought for justice, especially women’s empowerment, and against (gender-based violence). She was also admirable.”
Kortjie joked that Van Rooyen was known for her red lipstick.
“Everyone knew (that) when she would take out the red lipstick, she was heading for court, so you would stay out of her way. The different shades also represented the type of mood she was in. She had a shade for every occasion.”
The advocate concluded by saying that, even though Van Rooyen’s death had been untimely, she had still made her mark in life.
“She was at the peak of her career when she was murdered, but what we can say is that she made a huge contribution. She was a justice warrior.”
Van Rooyen, who grew up in Mitchells Plain, had, according to a family tribute read out by the funeral’s presiding minister, District Rector Gavin van der Hoven, always dreamt of travelling to Milan and Paris.
“She also dreamt of opening her own clothing store that made and sold white-and-black magistrates’ skirts,” he read while the congregation could be heard giggling.
Van der Hoven further stated that the magistrate, who presided in Vredenburg, had left a beautiful legacy that would be carried on.
He compared her to Deborah, from the book of Judges in the Bible, who was also a fearless leader.
“Deborah was a woman the Israelites turned to when they went into battle. Hearing this story makes me think of Romay.
“As a coloured women growing up on the Cape Flats, she inspired many. Her story doesn't end here, because it lives on in the life of every young woman she touched.”
As Van Rooyen’s light brown casket was wheeled out of the church, her friends and colleagues formed a magistrates’ guard of honour in a tribute to her.
Many broke down as her coffin was loaded into the hearse.
Chief magistrate Johannes Loots said they were heartbroken at her unexpected death.
“We are all sad because of her untimely death. It was not time for her to go, yet here we are having to accept it and move forward.”
The motive for Van Rooyen’s death remains a mystery.
Minister of Police Bheki Cele has announced that the Hawks have taken over the case.
No arrests have been made yet, and investigations continue.