Anka van Schalkwyk: Despatch Hockey Star, 19, Dies in Crash With Rugby Captain Tiaan van Heerden
- Hoërskool Despatch confirmed the death of 2025 matriculant and hockey player Anka van Schalkwyk, 19, in a car crash in Despatch on 22 August
- Van Schalkwyk's boyfriend, 21-year-old Tiaan van Heerden, a former Hoërskool Kirkwood rugby captain, also died in the crash
- Her brother Louw was in the vehicle at the time and survived with minor injuries, according to reports
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Hoërskool Despatch is grieving the loss of 19-year-old Anka van Schalkwyk, a 2025 matriculant and school hockey player who died in a car crash in Despatch in the early hours of Saturday, 22 August.
Source: Facebook
Van Schalkwyk was not the only victim. Her boyfriend, 21-year-old Tiaan van Heerden, a former pupil and rugby captain at Hoërskool Kirkwood, also died in the crash. According to Netwerk24, the couple were due to mark two years together this December. Anka's brother, Louw, was in the vehicle at the time and survived the incident with minor injuries.
Hoërskool Despatch pays tribute to Anka
The school took to social media to share its condolences with the Van Schalkwyk family. Its tribute read:
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"With great sadness we learn of the death of one of our 2025 matriculants, Anka van Schalkwyk. Our deepest sympathy to the Van Schalkwyk family in this sad and difficult time. May you find comfort and strength in the beautiful memories of Anka. We pray for you and ask that you will experience God's comfort and closeness during this time. Our deepest sympathy. - HSD Family"
As seen in the Facebook post below.
Photos circulating alongside tributes show Anka dressed in her green-and-white school hockey kit, holding her stick on the astro turf. The image has become emblematic of how teammates and the broader school community will remember her.
The young couple who died together
Tiaan and Anka had been together for nearly two years at the time of the crash. The two reportedly first crossed paths in August 2024 at a rugby match held at Hoërskool Despatch, where Tiaan noticed Anka playing hockey.
They began their relationship officially that December and were said to have shared a deep love of sport, Tiaan through rugby, and Anka through hockey, hammer throw and dance. They would have marked two years together on 8 December 2026.
Their deaths leave many parents worried about the number of school students who have passed away in recent memory. This follows the tragic death of a 12-year-old karate champion and also the passing away of a schoolboy rugby star in Johannesburg.
Hoërskool Patriot mourns death of netball star
Briefly News previously reported that a netball schoolgirl from Mpumalanga, Promise Sithole, has been remembered by her school and peers following her heartbreaking death.
Her passing left many stunned just weeks after she was selected for the Mpumalanga Nkangala Under-19 netball team.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
