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BEHIND closed doors, a young girl bled to death on the floor of her parents' bedroom after she was raped and her throat slit in Walton Road in Retreat on Thursday, 20 March.

Her father, Rashaad Kruger (46), was arrested in Delft, where he was with family members, on Friday and will appear on charges of murder and rape in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court this morning (Tuesday). Moneba Kruger (13) was apparently alone with her father and her disabled aunt when she was left to die behind a locked door in the house.

Her father was out on bail after apparently assaulting a minor last month. He was to appear in court to plead his innocence or guilt on Monday, 31 March.

The quiet community of Walton Road only became aware of the tragedy after the girl's mother, Nadia Kruger, arrived home from work after 17:00 to find her daughter's body.

A neighbour says she saw a man clamber down the gutter outside the flat, run across the back yard and escape moments before the police arrived to investigate the murder.

Moneba was apparently kept under lock and key when her father was at home. She was taken out of school at Lourier Primary and kept at home after her father's release from prison for a rape conviction 14 months ago. "Where was Social Services? Should they not investigate to check on the stability of the home, if a minor does not go to school, especially if the father is out on parole?" asked the resident.

When Moneba was allowed outside, she liked to play outside with a skipping rope, and walk about on the Walton Road field. Her best friend says she was a quiet but friendly girl who never spoke about her life behind closed doors.

The Steenberg police arrested Kruger after tracking him down to Delft on Friday. Captain Nathan Arries, the investigating officer, described the murder scene as "a very sad sight".

Kevin Southgate, chairperson of the Steenberg Community Police Forum, says they have offered their support to the family and the family is receiving ongoing counselling at the Steenberg Police Station. "The family are coping well, but there is still a lot of resentment and anger in the home," says Southgate.

A resident who lives close to the Kruger home described the Kruger family home as one that was never quiet. "There was always shouting and swearing in the home. Kruger was very dominant; when he was home he was the boss," she said. She says Nadia Kruger was friendly but she never said anything about her husband.

"Our biggest worry as a neighbourhood is that if Kruger gets bail again, he will come back," she says as she holds her son close.

People's Post attempted to gain comment from Moneba?s family but was blocked by a freelance journalist outside the family's home yesterday. The journa?list said she had secured exclusive rights to tell the family's story and to sell their photos. The journalist, who says she is a distant relative of the family, offered the photos of the Kruger family tragedy at R650 for a front page photo, R500 for a se?cond front page photo and R400 for an inside photo.

When asked whether any of the money would go to the family, the journalist said she and her photographer would need to discuss how much they would give to the family.

Moneba was the youngest of four children. She is survived by her mother, her two older brothers and a sister. She would have turned 14 on Easter Sunday, 23 March.

No photos of Moneba have survived Thursday's tragedy.

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