Durban - Just hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa urged to country to act against abuse towards women and children, the body of a three-year-old girl was found dumped in a field in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg.
Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said the gruesome discovery was made by a passerby who had been collecting plastic waste.
"He noticed the body of a three-year old girl in a plastic bin. He called the police. Upon arrival, officers established that the child had died as a result of a stab wound to her upper body. The child had been reported missing on June 17 in Orange Farm. No arrests have been made as yet and a case of murder is under investigation," he said.
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In the last two weeks, the country has noted a number of violent attacks against women and children.
During his address to the country on the further opening of the economy and relaxation of certain lockdown regulations, Ramaphosa called on the community to stand united against gender-based violence, which he called the second pandemic facing the nation.
"Over the past few weeks no fewer than 21 women and children have been murdered. As a man, as a husband and as a father, I am appalled at what is no less than a war being
waged against the women and children of our country," Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said legislative amendments have been prepared around, among other things, minimum sentencing in cases of gender-based violence, bail conditions for suspects, and greater protection for women who are victims of intimate partner violence.