Action Society welcomes the guilty verdict and sentencing of Moeneeb Hess, who brutally murdered 20-year-old Aaliyah Chingy in February 2023. After more than two years of postponements, justice has finally been served.
Aaliyah was last seen alive in early February 2023. Her body was discovered on 12 February, buried in a shallow grave along Afram Road in Delft. She had suffered multiple stab wounds. Hess, her boyfriend at the time, was arrested shortly thereafter and charged with her murder.
From the outset, the court process was plagued by delays. The trial was first scheduled to commence on 24 July 2024 – what would have been Aaliyah’s 21st birthday. Instead of marking the beginning of a path to justice, the trial was postponed. It would be delayed at least seven more times before a verdict was finally reached on 5 August 2025.
Throughout this time, Action Society stood by Aaliyah’s family, offering support and raising public awareness about the unbearable wait for justice. The repeated postponements placed an immense emotional burden on the family and highlighted the lack of urgency in the justice system, particularly in gender-based violence cases.
“The guilty verdict brings some closure, but the process should never have taken this long,” said Kaylynn Palm, head of Action Society’s Action Centre in the Western Cape. “Delays like these are not only traumatic for the families—they also undermine trust in the entire justice system. Aaliyah’s life was taken in the most brutal way, and then her family had to fight for more than two years just to see justice done.”
Action Society renews its call for prioritisation of gender-based violence cases and for structural changes to ensure that victims’ families are not subjected to years of delay. Too many families are left waiting—uncertain, unsupported, and unheard.
“Aaliyah’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of how much still needs to change,” added Palm. “Her life mattered. Her voice mattered. And we will continue to fight for a justice system that reflects that.”
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