’I am appealing to police commissioner Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola to consider the possibility that this may have been a hate crime … and to up the ante in terms of arresting the perpetrators. There must be justice for Tankiso and kindness for her tormented family.’
DA MEMBER of the provincial legislature Ofentse Mokae met with the bereaved family of Tankiso Esther Tawanyane, 34, who was gang-raped, set alight and left for dead in Lethabo Park, Roodepan, on the weekend.
Mokae, who is also a family friend of the deceased, conveyed his sympathies to the family on October 11.
“I have known Tankiso since my childhood and attended school with her at Thabane High School. Acknowledging her brutal death was extremely hard and I can only imagine how difficult it must be for her family to come to terms with what has happened,” said Mokae.
“Given the trauma experienced by her family and the strain that they now find themselves under, I have committed the DA’s support in terms of putting pressure on provincial government departments, including the departments of Safety and Social Development and the Premier’s Office, to make good on their promises relating to assistance promised to the family.”
Mokae added that he he also took seriously the family’s concerns that Tawanyane may have been vulnerable to attack, as she was a member of the LGBTQI community.
“I am appealing to police commissioner Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola to consider the possibility that this may have been a hate crime, as the investigation continues, and to up the ante in terms of arresting the perpetrators. There must be justice for Tankiso and kindness for her tormented family.”
Mokae also made a personal contribution towards the burial costs.
Tawanyane’s uncle, Tshenolo Magonare, said the family had been visited by Otola and the MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem, while the Department of Social Development had offered to provide counselling to any of the family members in need.
He added that Tawanyane was employed as a security guard by Defensor Security for the past five years.
“She was working at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital.”
