Memorial unveiled for Van Rooyen victims in the moot

Emotions ran high this past week as memorial portraits were unveiled for six girls who went missing 30 years ago.

The Gert van Rooyen drama in the 1980’s gripped the hearts of many South Africans, especially those living in the Moot.

Van Rooyen, along with his girlfriend, Joey Haarhoff, were accused of kidnapping seven girls.

Six of the seven girls disappeared without a trace.

They were Joan Horn, Yolanda Wessels, Anne-Marie Wapenaar, Fiona Harvey, Odette Boucher and Tracy-Lee Scott-Crossley.

The two were unmasked after 16-year-old Joan Booysen escaped from the paedophile’s home at 227 Malherbe Street.

Their home quickly became known as the house of horrors after it became the scene of several forensic and other police investigations.

“This property has always had such a negative connotation with everything that happened here,” said Capital Park Residents and Ratepayers Association (Caprra) chairperson, Mike Burt.

“Our aim is to make this property a place where residents can go to commemorate the girls.”

Burt said the idea started when Caprra started to maintain another house at 376 Malherbe Street.

“That house was also known as the house of horrors because of the vagrants who lived there and notorious satanic acts that were done there,” he said

“When we started maintaining the property, residents asked why we didn’t help maintain the Van Rooyen property as well.”

That’s when Caprra started cleaning the property about a year ago, but they had bigger plans.

“We also recently repainted the wall to cover all the old messages and handprints that were on the wall and gates,” he said.

A steel frame was also erected atop the wall.

Burt said he then spoke to Lizette Stoltz, chairperson of the Moot Constituency Dawn (DA women’s network), and they decided to approach the Lat Wiel Self-Help Centre for Quadriplegics for help.

“We couldn’t decide what to do with the yard. We wanted to commemorate the girls, but the property and the story have such a negative connotation,” Burt said.

“So Lizette suggested that we make a memorial for the girls.”

Burt said Lat Wiel’s foot and mouth painters painted seven flowers on vinyl. The artwork was then placed on a steel frame.

“The original paintings will be given to the parents of the missing girls,” he said.

“We had seven flowers made to also commemorate Joan Booysen. Because if it was not for her, no one would have known about this.”

The memorial was officially unveiled on Wednesday and attended by many.

Among the attendees were some of the parents of the missing girls.

George Boucher and Ansie Horn came to witness the unveiling of the memorial.

“I am very happy that they decided to do this memorial, which also creates more awareness about the story in the process,” George said.

“I truly hope the right people will see it and that we will be able to get more information.”

He said the situation remained difficult because there was no closure.

“The wound remains raw,” he said.

Today, there are only mysteries and wild theories left over from the Van Rooyen drama that gripped the hearts of many.

However, the truth was buried with Van Rooyen and Haarhoff.

The drama came to an end when police landed on Van der Hoff Road during a chase through the streets of the Moot and west of Pretoria.

Van Rooyen shot Haarhoff and then shot himself in his car.

Although the case happened many years ago, there were still many people out there investigating it at their own expense.

One such a person was ex-police officer Don Chandler, who was the investigating officer on Harvey’s disappearance.

“Any information from anyone that could help bring us closer to the truth is welcome,” he said.

“The person can remain anonymous.

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