Johannesburg - The DA expressed horror on Monday over the death of a seven-month-old baby boy in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg.
“The Democratic Alliance believes that a whole-of-society approach is needed to combat violence against children,” Gauteng spokeswoman Hendrika Kruger said in a statement.
“While all levels of government must be actively involved, parents, family members, teachers and community members must not neglect their responsibility for the safety of our children.”
She said neglecting, mutilating and killing of children had to end.
Residents found the baby's body in a shack on Sunday and alerted police.
Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng said a case of murder was being investigated.
“We have registered a case of murder, but initially it was an inquest,” Mofokeng said.
Police arrived to find the baby's body missing a foot.
“Further investigations informed police that (the foot) was bitten off by rats.”
Police were still awaiting the results of the post mortem to definitively determine the cause of death.
Mofokeng said the baby's mother was missing and had still not been located by Monday morning, contrary to media reports that she had reported the matter to police.
Sapa