Convicted rapist and murderer Pangakeker dies in prison

Cape Town – The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has confirmed the death of Moyhdian Pangkaeker, a convicted rapist and murderer serving a life sentence at the Brandvlei Maximum Centre in the Western Cape.

According to the department, Pangkaeker died in his sleep and was discovered by correctional officials on Tuesday, 18 November 2025.

In a statement, DCS said the offender had been serving time for a string of violent crimes. His convictions included seven counts of rape, five counts of assault, five counts of common assault, one count of corpse violation, and one count of murder.

“The Department of Correctional Services confirms the passing of offender Moyhdian Pangkaeker. He died in his sleep and was discovered by officials on 18 November 2025,” the department said in a statement.

“Pangkaeker was serving a life sentence at Brandvlei Maximum Centre for multiple offences, including seven counts of rape, five counts of assault, five counts of common assault, one count of corpse violation, and one count of murder. The family has been duly informed of this unfortunate incident.”

According to The Citizen, eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk was found dead in 2020 in a stormwater drain outside Worcester after convicted offender Pangarker pointed out the location of her body.

She had been missing for nearly two weeks after disappearing while walking to a tuck shop near her home in Connaught Estate on 7 February.

Investigations showed she had been raped, beaten to death with a blunt object, and had one of her hands severed, the report said.

In October 2022, the Western Cape High Court convicted Pangarker on a wide range of charges, including multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, child exploitation, murder, and violating a corpse.

Tazne was buried three weeks after her disappearance, with thousands attending her funeral at the Uniting Reformed Church in Elsies River.