A rioting crowd set fire to three buildings on Friday after the court appearance of a man accused of kidnapping and murdering eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk.

The buildings were near Goodwood magistrate's court, in Cape Town, where Moydine Pangarker's appearance was delayed for 90 minutes by a crowd of protesters who forced their way into the building.

Community members said the buildings targeted by the crowd - which also included a shop, which was looted - were known as illicit drug outlets.

The crowd abducted alleged sex workers and a suspected drug-dealer from one of the buildings and dragged them around nearby streets, forcing them to point out other properties were drugs are sold.

"It's essentially a lynch-mob rampaging through the area," said a bystander. 

SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE was told that one of the buildings that was set alight was targeted after people who left court after Pangarker was remanded in custody told the crowd the 54-year-old kept Tazne there after kidnapping her on February 7.

Residents said the area was plagued by drug-dealers, and said they supported the actions of the protesters who attacked the buildings.

Police eventually used stun grenades to disperse the crowd, and firefighters arrived to tackle the blazes.

*This is a developing story.