The Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Ms Lulu Xingwana, will lead a sod-turning ceremony for the establishment of a Memorial Park in honour of Masego Kgomo, a ten year-old girl from Soshanguve, who was brutally murdered two years ago.
Masego’s badly decomposed and mutilated body was found covered in a thick grey blanket with her legs spread open in the centre of the clump of bushes in a field between Soshanguve station and Soshanguve hostel. The sod turning ceremony will take place where her body was found. This programme is part of the 16 Days of Activism for no Violence against Women and Children campaign.
During her funeral, the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities made a commitment to work with all stakeholders to ensure that the area where Masego’s mutilated body was found would be turned into a ‘a beautiful structure’ in her memory. Consistent with this undertaking, the department initiated a programme of “Clean cities, safer cities and cohesive communities “for South Africa in honor of Masego Kgomo.
The department is confident that this project will help raise community awareness around the safety and security of children, and to promote the clean and child-friendly cities campaign focusing on gender-based violence. We also hope to mobilise partners to ensure clean and child-friendly cities that are inclusive, safe and respect the rights of all people, including vulnerable groups (e.g. women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons). As part of the programme, there will be a cleansing ceremony as well as a dialogue on the scourge of child killings.
Through this project, government and all its partners seek to send a clear message that all women and children have a right to live in safe and secure environments.
Members of the media are invited to join Minister Xingwana as follows:
Venue: Block M, Soshanguve (Between Soshanguve Hostel and the
Railway Station)
Time: 9h00
Date: Saturday, 26 November 2011
Other Ministers and the Executive Mayor of Tshwane are also expected.
Journalists are requested to confirm their attendance with me or Sello Molekwa: 082 539 0090
NB: The murderer of Masego Kgomo, who was found guilty by the North Gauteng High Court in October, will be sentenced on Monday, 28 November 2011.
Enquiries:
Cornelius Tanana Monama
Tel: 012 359 0208
Cell: 082 578 4063
Memorial Park in honour of murdered child, Masego Kgomo
