The DA in Gauteng has called on the provincial department of social development to revive awareness campaigns on gender-based violence (GBV) and child abuse to help save the children.
This after the arrest of a 35-year-old woman who allegedly burned and abandoned her newborn baby girl at a dumping site in Tshepiso, Vanderbjilpark a week ago.
It is estimated, according to an Al Jazeera report, that at a rate of about three children a day, 549 were murdered in the first six months of the year, while the police have confirmed that 243 children were murdered between April and June 2022.
In a democratic country with a constitution that widely caters for all who live in it, child maltreatment continues to rise as children are continuously robbed of their rights to protection and life in its entirety.
Earlier in October, a 23-year-old mother was arrested for abandoning her baby near a stream in Dawncrest, northern Durban. According to media reports, the mother blamed the social workers and the “system” for her decision.
In a letter found with the baby, the mother pleaded with people to help her baby and noted that she had no other option but to let go of her child.
“Hi, you might be wondering why I dumped my baby, don’t wonder, just help her if you can or call the authorities, but don’t judge me,” reads the letter.
“I have spoken twice with social workers and they are delaying to assist. I know this looks bad, but I had no option. The system is fragile, and we can’t even abort safely anymore [because the] hospitals have strict rules.”
Refiloe Ntšekhe, DA spokesperson on social development, said an increase in these outrageous crimes is of grave concern. She noted that it is time for the provincial department of social development to intervene for the sake of “innocent children”.
“The alarming increase in child murder cases across the country is a clear indication that the lives of children are in danger, yet the South African Police Service is ill-equipped, untrained, under-resourced and failing to ensure the safety of the children,” said Ntšekhe.
She added that the country is faced with a scourge of GBV and “in most cases, the victims are innocent children”.
“The DA proposes that the Gauteng department of social development prioritises reviving awareness campaigns on gender-based violence and child abuse to save our children.”
Meanwhile, the death of four-year-old Bakgabo Poo from Wattville in Benoni, who was found with her body parts missing after she was kidnapped from a park a week ago, has shocked the country.
The child’s distraught family and community members are now searching for missing body parts in order to bury the child with dignity.
Thirty-year-old Ntokozo Zikhali has been charged with Poo’s rape and murder, as well as tampering with her body.
Also read: Bokgabo Poo’s alleged killer remanded in custody
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