The minister said this as Child Protection Week came to an end, calling for communities to be more vigilant for possible perpetrators of abuse, rape and violence.
SOCIAL Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said the brutal killing of children cannot be a normal thing.
The minister said this as Child Protection Week came to an end, calling for communities to be more vigilant for possible perpetrators during an event at the Manzini Community Hall in Mpumalanga.
She said that in Mpumalanga, the areas of KaNyamazane, Matsulu, KaBokweni, Mganduzweni, Chochocho, Nkomazi, and Bushbuckridge have been identified by police as hot spots for child killings after numerous children went missing and were later found murdered.
The minister told the children gathered at the event that perpetrators of abuse, rape and violence might be in their midst at schools, communities, streets and homes.
“Beware of these kinds of people and never allow them to touch you where they are not supposed to,” she said.
Barely a week after Child Protection Week, a 53-year-old man was arrested for the alleged rape and abuse of his eight-year-old son.
According to the SAPS, the child was cuffed and chained at his house in Mgababa Village, outside Peddie, in the Eastern Cape.
“When police arrived at the house, they found the child alone and cuffed with a chain. He was freed and taken for medical treatment and to a place of safety.
“The father has since been on the run, and police are on the hunt for him. On Sunday (June 4, 2023) the investigating officer traced the suspect to a relative’s house in NU11 in Motherwell, Gqeberha. He was arrested and detained on charges of rape and child neglect.
“He will appear in the Peddie Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (June 6, 2023),” said SAPS spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu.
The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene, expressed shock and sadness at the inhumane treatment of the young child.
“It is our responsibility as parents and/or caretakers to take control and protect our children, yet it is very sad when these very people become perpetrators instead of protectors. As we marked Child Protection Week, we need to strive for zero tolerance for crimes against children as enshrined in our Constitution and the Children’s Act.
“We appreciate the efforts of the communities to look out for our children and for reporting the maltreatment of children who do not have a voice. Let us be the voice for those who can’t and stop the scourge of violence against the vulnerable,” said Mene.
