Leonard Ramatlakane
14 September 2006
The Western Cape Minister for Community Safety, Leonard Ramatlakane, says
that new peace building initiatives are required to prevent the killing of
children.
Speaking at the media briefing with Premier Ebrahim Rasool today, Minister
Ramatlakane has condemned and labelled as âmadness by a human beingâ, the
latest spate of child killings that in almost all the incidents, a close
associates of the family of mother is arrested and or irresponsible.
âThe killing of children by close family associates is now a new and a
worrying phenomenon.
âLast year, my Department drove a campaign distributing a million pamphlets
raising awareness on missing children. That campaign was a relative success as
it resulted in a rapid decline of such incidents.
âNow we are faced by a new type of phenomena: a child raped and killed by a
family member or someone who has a relationship with a child's mother. What
compounds this kind of crime for the police is that it is being committed
behind closed doors and closed curtains, only for the police to be alerted on
it days later."
Minister Ramatlakane has condemned these acts and labelled them as
barbaric.
âWhen a mother strangles her own child to death, such an act must be
condemned.
âWhen the boyfriend would rape and kill the mother's child, this also must
be condemned.
âAnd when a mother would leave her child unattended for 24 hours at the
house, only to return a day later to find the child killed, all of these are
callous acts that should be condemned.
âSuch crime, committed in the house of that family, becomes a challenge to
the police, because they (police) would react to reports of such a crime and
make investigation which would lead to arrests. At times, this is not
enough.â
Minister Ramatlakane called on church leaders spiritual leaders to play an
active role in providing spiritual education to communities in an effort to
root out this phenomenon.
âIt is clear from the modus operandi that in some families there is deep
rooted sickness and the breakdown in social fabric.
Minister Ramatlakane added that it was of concerns that while the
neighbourhood is sometimes aware of the brokenness of a particular family, they
would choose not to speak out and report these.
âIt is our duty as responsible citizens to embrace the value of being
communities who uphold the value and norms of being law abiding citizens. This
is where we should go back to."
Minister Ramatlakane said provincial government's Hands Off Our Children
(HOOC) campaign and various other community empowerment programmes aimed at
raising awareness on children's safety are to continue.
In the last three months, the South African Police Service (SAPS) responded
to the following cases where children were killed:
* A 16 year old boy was killed and his body was dumped in a veld/bush in
Atlantis. The motive is still not known. One arrest has been made.
* A two year old baby's body was found strangled in Mfuleni allegedly by the
mother. The mother was arrested and is still in custody.
* A newborn bay was discovered in Bellville (on the railway station, Cape
Peninsula University of Technology). No arrest has been. We are still looking
for the mother.
* The body of Ceyline Cowley was found in the backyard of her house in
Ravensmead. A 35-year-old man was arrested. He has since pleaded guilty.
* Five year old Ayanda Dubuntu of Delft was found murdered outside his house.
His mother had left him with other young boys who turned out to be part of the
run-away townships gangs. Four of these boys were arrested and are to be
charged with the murder.
* The body of a five year old girl Aakifa Salie, was found in a house in
Observatory. A man has been arrested and has appeared in court. His name is
George Mugalula.
* Ten year old Ayanda Dabula was found dead in his mother's house in Philippi
East. The boyfriend of the mother has been arrested.
Enquires:
Makhaya Mani (Spokesman)
Tel: (021) 483 3873
Cell: 072 997 1873/ 082 780 4493
Issued by: Western Cape Provincial Government
14 September 2006
