It was clear that the little girl had been murdered. She was lying near a footpath in the PG Bison forest, behind a tree stump. She was fully clothed. Blood was clearly visible on her shirt and, according to the community member who found her, there was an open wound to her neck and also signs of strangulation.
According to a media statement issued by SAPS media liaison, Captain Bernadine Steyn on Sunday, September 1, a 32-year-old man was arrested at about 21:00. He was charged with murder. Following an autopsy on Monday, September 2, a charge of rape was added. The accused appeared in court on Tuesday, September 3 and he remains in custody. He will again appear in court on November 11.
"He is a family member, well-known to this community," says Rheenendal ward councillor, Magda Williams. She adds that he was also feared, because of a previous conviction for the brutal murder of a Karatara woman. "He was feared because of the wild look on his face and the darkness everyone knew was in his heart," says Williams. A reliable source confirmed that the accused had served a prison sentence for murder.
The last time her friends saw Paula'tjie, she was playing soccer with them in Gousblom Street as she did almost every day of her short life. Only about ten metres away, her father Derrick Marneville was fast asleep. The little girl lost her mother, Marinda October, last year when she died in the very same forest while chopping wood.
The accused, who "often wandered around, always alone", approached Paula'tjie and offered to buy her chips at Tottie's, a shop easily reachable on foot, crossing through the forest.
According to her friends, they warned her not to go with the man. The last they saw of her, her hand was tightly tucked into his and with her other hand she was waving "proudly" as if to say, "I’m lucky he chose me".
"We were all hungry," one of her friends adds. Deaf to the calls of her friends, Paula'tjie, walked off into the forest with the man. When the man returned from the shop, he was alone.
By the time her father realised she was gone, three hours had passed. Marneville immediately alerted Frans Pyle, a neighbourhood watch member. The tight-knit community was immediately mobilised. They formed a search party, splitting into teams to explore the area.
According to Captain Steyn, the little girl was reported missing at the Knysna Police station early that Saturday afternoon. SAPS members immediately joined the search. Everybody's desperate calls of Paula'jie's name on that cold, wet night, still echo through her father's head. During the course of the day, Marneville confronted the alleged murderer. "Where is my child," he asked. The man did not answer. "And I knew ... I could see it in his eyes."
Williams says that as the day progressed and night fell, "we all knew it was too late". She recalls praying, "Please God, don’t let her body be buried under the piles of wood chips where we will never find her and, please, don’t let her lie in the rain all night."
According to the police, a community member discovered the child's body at about 20:45.
Williams says Paula'tjie's murder is an "unbearable loss" to the community and her inconsolable father. "Paula'tjie was a light beam and a joy to everyone who knew her, like a butterfly. She was everybody’s child, but we could not protect her."
William says there are "predators on the loose in our community. We know who they are but the police don’t seem to get them behind bars. The ones that, we all know, should be put away, are being let out. There is fear in our hearts."
Williams' own son, David, was murdered in the neighbourhood. "The killer is out there." She says that everybody knows who he is. "I have to see his face every day."
"I will not allow people to blame alcohol and drugs again. This is a plea for help. Murderers are walking around in our streets, boasting and getting away with it. They are just bad people. Addiction has nothing to do with it and is no excuse."
Knysna's executive mayor, Georlene Wolmarans says she was shocked and deeply saddened by the incident.
"Once again it looks like a child had placed her trust in an adult of her own community, who then betrayed her and killed her. It is sad that we have to teach our children to stay away from adults – not only strangers, but even those they know.
"While we are relieved that a suspect has been arrested, I urge all relevant government departments and the SAPS to approach this matter with the seriousness and diligence it deserves, so that justice will be served.
“My condolences go to the family and loved ones of this little girl. Our thoughts and our prayers are with you in this very sad time," said Wolmarans.
Rosaline Paula Philander will be laid to rest on Saturday, September 7. A memorial service will be held at the Rheenendal Community Centre at 08:00.
Tiaan Philander (left) half-brother of the murdered Rosaline Paula Philander (aka Paula'tjie), with councillor Magda Williams holding a photo of her murdered son David, and Derrick Marneville, father of Paulat'jie. "No parent should ever go through this," Williams says.
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