Hout Bay Music Academy’s Heartbreaking Message Following Death of Pupil Sibusiso Dakuse

The director of Kronendal Music Academy in South Africa has published a heartbreaking message on social media, following the rape and murder of one of the Hout Bay NPO’s pupils, Sibusiso Thorn Dakuse. The young boy from Mandela Park (who was reportedly 12) went missing on Wednesday 26 February 2020, before his body was tragically discovered. He had been killed by an adult he allegedly knew and trusted, in a week in which two other little girls in the Western Cape also had their lives snatched from them – Tazne van Wyk (8) was killed by a neighbour and Emaan Solomon (7) was killed by a stray bullet between rival gangs.

Dwyn Griesel said Kronendal Music Academy is “heartbroken to the core” and warned readers that “what follows is not pleasant”.

Griesel wrote:

“I realise what I am going to say will be contentious. I have battled endlessly with deciding what the “right” thing is to do in terms of this post and what is acceptable for me to say. As the Director I have to deal with the sadness and shock of all my staff, but what is harder is for me to deal with my anger at this heinous crime.

“The perpetrator does NOT deserve the luxury of remaining anonymous, does NOT deserve the “politeness” of sweeping his crime under the rug, does NOT deserve ANY “right” thing at all ever again.

“As the police take time to give the family any information or closure, we all already know the truth and yet are not allowed to make it “public” because an “official” statement has not been released.

“The work of community projects exists to hold our children in safety and love, and to give them hope for the future. (Kronendal provides free music lessons, instruments, ensemble playing and much needed lunches to about 180 under-privileged children weekly from the Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg community. A video on the Academy’s page shows Sibisuso performing beautifully.)

“It is beyond comprehension that [this person*] tasked with the trust of the community’s children, could rape and murder an innocent, sweet, intelligent and talented young boy. And Sibu is not the first boy he has raped. I could name him here, now, but I am told I am not allowed to do so… (* SAPeople has removed text that identifies the perpetrator’s job, in order to ensure the integrity of the case is not compromised.)

“It is beyond comprehension that he will be tried and sent to jail where I and his family will pay for him to live, have 3 square meals a day and be given opportunities to “rehabilitate”.

“It is beyond comprehension that “no one” heard or saw anything from the night he was abducted to the afternoon he was found naked in the reeds.

“It is beyond comprehension that his fellow coaches and sponsors did not know about his prior actions in a community as small and tight knit as ours.

“It is beyond comprehension that we are expected to keep quiet about it. It needs to be shouted from the roof tops and the mountains, it needs to be proclaimed in every corner: Sibusiso was raped and murdered by a man we were told we could trust.

“But, more than anything else, it is beyond comprehension that Sibusiso’s beautiful voice will not be heard again.

“Sibu, we saw you, understood you and we love you.”

Tributes have poured in for Sibu – from friends, neighbours, people who knew him in the art world, even in the skating world (“Sbu was not a skater but hung around the skate park often. He was the sweetest little boy.”)

A fundraiser has been set up on BackABuddy – within hours it had surpassed its R10,000 target. The target has been raised to R18,000. The fund was created for the little boy’s family by the Hout Bay Community for locals to donate and “come together and show their love and support and to assist the Family of Sibusiso to enable them to give their little boy a beautiful farewell – RIP little Angel”.

Griesel said the Academy has received many messages of support and concern – many from other groups caring for children in the Hout Bay area. “If your group would like to join our circle where we support each other, please send us a note to director@kmahoutbay.org There is power in us working hand in hand to care for these children.”