DA to probe increase in child murders 

05 August 2014

A recent reply to a DA parliamentary question, asked by Mike Waters MP, revealed that the number of murder cases reported against children has gone up from 793 in 2011/2012 to 827 in 2012/2013. This is cause for great concern.

The Minister of Police, Nathi Nhleko, also shockingly revealed, in his reply, that these child murders were committed using firearms, knives, knobkerries, fire and even pangas.

Minister Nhleko's sampled data only takes into consideration child murder allegations that have reached the courts between 2011 and 2013. It is certain that there are a multitude of child murder cases that never make it to court due to bungled investigations and a generally over-stretched South African Police Service (SAPS). The true number, including those cases that aren't even reported, could be significantly higher. 

The South African Medical Research Council (SAHRC) found that cases following a post mortem investigation often end there and do not become subject to police investigation.

It is deeply concerning that many parents have to deal with a criminal justice system that does not produce the justice they deserve. Every single one of these murders must reach a court of law and hopefully a successful conviction. We also need to improve the SAPS' ability to stop these murders from taking place. 

The DA will therefore be submitting further parliamentary questions to ascertain:

How many of these murders resulted in successful convictions;

How many were acquittals; and

And how many never made it to court on account of lack of evidence or bungled investigations?

DA will continue to fight for a better criminal justice system. We must do everything we can to stop the murders of our children and to ensure that the perpetrators are successfully prosecuted.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, August 5 2014

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