Missing Gert van Rooyen six remembered
The remembrance started with a prayer before candles were lit up in remembrance of the victims.
About 50 people gathered at the notorious Gert van Rooyen property in Capital Park in a silent protest on Wednesday, in remembrance of the tragedy that gripped many hearts years ago.
Thirty years ago, Gert van Rooyen shot and killed his partner, Joey Haarhoff then himself during a dramatic car chase through the streets of the Moot and west of Pretoria on 15 January 1990.
Along with them, died the secrets of what exactly happened to six girls they were believed to have previously abducted.
The remembrance started with a prayer before candles were lit up in remembrance of the victims. Various community members and leaders spoke against abuse and vowed not to allow such tragedy repeat itself.
Michiel Jacobsz from Women and Men Against Child Abuse said the gathering was about remembering Gert van Rooyen’s victims including those unnamed.
READ MORE: Vigil for Van Rooyen victims
“For us, it’s important to show solidarity. We feel that it is important to create public conversation about these things. There’s a lack of conversation regarding issues of child abuse which makes it difficult for victims to open up and we don’t blame them,” he said.
“Through our movement, we create this safe place for the community to come forward,” said Jacobsz.
PR councillor Wayne Helfrich said Van Rooyen’s house was a place of remembrance.
“Although this tragedy happened 30 years ago, for families, it feels like yesterday. We are commemorating the victims here outside his house which was demolished many years ago,” he said.
“So we want to take something ugly and turn it into something beautiful.”
READ MORE: Pta father places wreath in memory of missing Van Rooyen daughter
Not long ago, a memorial was made in honour of the missing girls, and the Van Rooyen victims. The memorial, an initiative of Caprra and local residents, was unveiled in November last year.
Pictures of flowers, representing the girls, were placed on the wall in memory of them.
The paintings were painted by the foot and mouth painters of Lat Wiel Self-Help Centre for quadriplegics.
About a month later in November, the father of one of the missing girls, George Boucher laid a wreath in front of the abandoned property.
In a previous interview, Mike Burt said they wanted to do something every two months to keep the story alive.
READ MORE: Memorial unveiled for Van Rooyen victims in the moot
“Too many children go missing each day and these six girls still remain missing to date,” he said.
“We wish to keep creating awareness on this incident in the hope that we will get help. There are other people still investigating this case out of their own expense, but to do this, they need money.”
Boucher was also actively involved with this project.
Van Rooyen and Haarhoff was accused of kidnapping seven girls. Six of the seven girls disappeared without a trace.
They were Joan Horn, Anne-Marie Wapenaar, Fiona Harvey, Odette Boucher, Yolanda Wessels and Tracy-Lee Scott-Crossley.
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