Johannesburg - Non-profit child protection organisation Women & Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) said it is both enraged and completely devastated by the killing of 17-year-old Ntsako Secondary School matric learner, Palesa Malatji.
WMACA said on Monday that it was unfortunate that Child Protection Week began with news that further solidified the horrifying state of child safety in South Africa.
Malatji attended extra classes at her school in Soshanguve on Thursday, and on her way home, she was ‘’robbed of her future in the cruellest of ways,’’ WMACA said.
The pupil’s body was found dumped next to Echibini Secondary School the following day.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane, who visited the deceased learner’s family on Monday, labelled it an ‘’unspeakable crime’’ and called on the police to act swiftly.
WMACA highlighted a number of issues regarding this case in light of Child Protection Week.
SA lacks safe communities for children.
‘’The death of Palesa certainly symbolises a broader issue in our society: that South Africa lacks safe communities for women and children. Our communities harbour criminals, and community members are often times too afraid to intervene. And, in most cases, they lack the resources to address the ills that cause the behaviour,’’ the organisation said.
A call on social services
‘’Children are vulnerable everywhere (schools, communities, sports, and even religious establishments), and therefore, we need maximum security at every level. It takes an entire system to protect children,’’ WMACA said.
‘’We need schools to be more vigilant and aware of the behaviour of children that may later result in them becoming offenders and/or victims. Social services also need to better address the social ills that give rise to victimisation and offending behaviour.’’
The organisation said the police need to do more to keep communities safe and hold offenders accountable, and the country needs the justice system to try the offenders, find them guilty, and hand down the maximum sentence.
‘’It is also imperative that such offenders not be granted parole if they are not truly rehabilitated. Lastly, we need efficient court structures that are able to remove and protect children from places of danger and put them in safe homes,’’ WMACA said.
Child protection reforms
‘’WMACA is of the opinion that the child protection system has been transformed only on paper. The President introduced a five-point GBV plan in 2019, which includes changing legislation, making processes more victim-friendly, etc. And while we have seen some positive changes, there is still much to be done,’’ the organisation said.
‘’The reforms we need should truly put children first. We need to decrease offender behaviour by getting services to children so that they become productive members of society, not offending members. But we also need to be able to restore young people to their communities if they have been victims of abuse, which will require specialised care.’’
WMACA further extended their deepest sympathy to the family and called on the police to find her murderer(s) and on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to bring them to justice.
The Star