The response of the South African government to the global pandemic coronavirus almost validates popular belief in the country that the government is insensitive towards child murder and other serious crimes in the country.
Crime statistics confirm that seven women and three children are being killed in South Africa daily.
THIS IS WORSE AND MORE DANGEROUS THAN CORONAVIRUS!
Why can’t government invest the kind of energy, time and resources invested in combating coronavirus in combating child murders, gender based violence and other dangerous crimes?
The number of children killed in South Africa increased to 1014 (up 2.9%).
The people are mourning and crying against child murders in the country.
The child murder rate has been high for some time in South Africa, but from the start of 2020, several killings close to Cape Town have drawn nationwide
protests.
The government declared a national state of disaster as one of the measures employed to tackle Covid-19. It announced drastic measures to curb its spread.
Mass campaign on social distancing, travel ban, movement restrictions and other proactive preventive measures are being hyped to reduce the spread and infection of Covid-19.
However, as today (March 23), the country is yet to record one death via coronavirus infection but the country has recorded several women and chiLdren being murdered.
WHICH ONE SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT TAKE MORE SERIOUS: CHILD AND WOMEN MURDER THAT HAVE BEEN KILLING AND STILL KILLING FOR YEARS OR CORONAVIRUS?
The government is imposing travel bans on some nationals, shutting schools and banning public gatherings of more than 100 people. President Cyril Ramaphosa said the state is also finalizing a package of measures to minimize the effect of the global pandemic on the economy.
WHY WERE SERIOUS MEASURES LIKE THESE NOT APPLY ON THE ISSUE OF CHILD MURDER AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IN THE COUNTRY?
OBVIOUSLY, THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT TAKE THOSE EVIL MENACES SERIOUSLY.
PERHAPS TO THE GOVERNMENT, THOSE ISSUES ARE NOT PANDEMIC.
OR THE GOVERNMENT IS JUST TURNING BLIND EYE TO THE NUMBER OF DEATHS BEING RECORD VIA CHILD MURDERS, GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND OTHER SERIOUS CRIMES IN THE COUNTRY.
In Cape Town, Fadiel Adams embarked on hunger strike to protest against government’s lack of interest in combating child murders but the government seems unperturbed about child murders.
The murder of seven-year-old Tazne van Wyk in early February sparked the protest.
Media report says: Tazne went missing on 7 February. Her body was found two weeks later after her suspected murderer led police to the storm drain where he said he had disposed of it.
The suspect, a violent multiple offender had been released on parole. He was in prison for the kidnapping and murder of another child.
Mr Adams ended his hunger strike after six days, once he had handed a memorandum to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s secretary, but his campaign is far from over”.
Adams and many South Africans believe the government does not care and is not interested in the lives of women and children in the country.
Adams said: “If Ramaphosa really cared he would have made an immediate directive… I don’t condone violence or burning things, but we won’t stop raising this [issue]. If we have to shut down this whole city to make our point next time then we will.”
Crime statistics released in 2019 indicated that four children are murdered every week in the Western Cape Province alone and, overall, child murders have increased across the country by almost 30% over a decade.
After Tazne’s body was found, the President visited her community in Elsies River and apologised.
He opined that the accused should never have been given parole, promising the government will look into parole issuance to dangerous criminals.
The number of women killed in 2018/19 stood at 2771 (down 2.9%), translating to seven women being murdered ever day. The number of reported sexual offences stood at 24,387 (down 3.8%). The number of women who were victims of attempted murder, assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and assault stood at 1,184 (down 11.8%), 7815 (down 3.3%), and 10,829 (down 3.7%), respectively.
Last year, Police Minister Bheki Cele told a media briefing that plans were underway to increase the number of family violence, child protection and sexual offences (FCS) units in the country and to bolster the number of officers, especially women detectives, to work in the units.
He added that it was currently one of the best performing units in the SAPS, securing 658 life sentences during the 2018/19 year for rape.
