The life of yet another young child has been cut short, this time in Mitchells Plain where the body of 6-year-old Stacey Adams was found in a shallow grave in a backyard on Sunday.
Community members firebombed the house of the suspect who has since been taken into custody. This newspaper reported on this horrific incident at a time two men, Mortimer Saunders and Odwa Nkololo, are appearing in the Western Cape High Court in connection with the murders of two young girls, 3-year-old Courtney Pieters, who was allegedly raped and murdered in 2016, and Iyapha Yamile, a 4-year-old who allegedly suffered the same fate last year.
The common denominator in the three crimes is that they were allegedly perpetrated by men - men who knew the victims.
This is a shocking and sickening reality in many such crimes. It is an indictment on society that the lives of helpless little girls are taken in this manner. How many more children must we lose in this way? How many families must be devastated?
Those in authority must get their act together, stop talking and start tackling the challenges - socio-economic and otherwise that contribute to these crimes. Residents in all communities must report suspicious behaviour and speak out against crime.
Following little Stacey’s murder, the anger displayed by the Mitchells Plain community is understandable but not helpful. What is needed is vigilance and keeping an eye on children all the time, especially during school holidays.
In some child murders the parents of the vitims have been left wanting. We call on the Social Development and Justice departments to deal decisively with mothers and fathers who neglect to take proper care of their kids. We also urge the justice system to exact the harshest punishment possible on child rapists and murderers. Throw away the keys and ensure they are never returned to society.
All children have the right to be protected. The fulfilment of this right becomes the responsibility of every family member, all neighbours as well as the community at large. If everyone works together and treat each child as their own, it will send a strong message to the scum who consider harming children.
@TheCapeArgus