The call followed the murder of 10-year-old Denecke Persence, whose body was found among reeds on 12 March after she went missing.
Macassar residents gathered outside Somerset West Magistrates Court on 29 March 2023 where the man accused of murdering Denecke Persence made his first court appearance. Picture: Kevin Brandt/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN – Macassar residents in Cape Town said the murder of 10-year-old Denecke Persence spurred renewed calls for better law enforcement in the area.
Persence’s body was found among reeds on 12 March after she went missing.
Her alleged killer, 55-year-old Geraldo Solomons, made his first appearance in the Somerset West Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
READ: Denecke Persence’s family demands harshest punishment for her alleged killer
Overcome with emotion, Macassar Community Police Forum chairperson Rhoda Bazier highlighted the impact of the incident, and crime in general, on the community.
“We are here to oppose bail and to make sure that justice is being served. No child deserves this, no community deserve this!”
Community ward councillor Peter Helfrich said that he understood the community’s anger, following the young girl’s murder.
“I said at Denecke’s funeral that we’ve got sick individuals living amongst us, walking amongst us, and hiding like the cowards that are waiting to strike at our woman and our children when nobody is watching.”
The 10-year-old girl was laid to rest on Sunday.
Her alleged killer remains behind bars and is set to reappear in court on 5 April.
