Zille and De Lille’s silence

STATISTICS from Missing Children SA indicate the Western Cape has the most children reported missing for the sixth consecutive year. Of these 36.5% were runaways, 0.5% were kidnapped, 2% were as a result of parental abduction and 0.2% were due to human trafficking.

A number of children reported missing since the start of the year have been found dead. According to the National Prosecuting Authority, 19 children were killed in the Western Cape since January, some as young as 14 months old.

Researchers said runaways are normally a sign of abuse in the home, which includes substance abuse. Each year the situation seems to be getting worse in the Western Cape, despite assurances by the authorities that they will clamp down on the abuse of children, abuse of women and other vulnerable groups.

During the memorial service for 3-year-old Courtney Pieters, the steering committee of the Forum of Cape Flats Civics called on the government to act. We called, in particular, on Minister Fikile Mbalula to make sure another innocent is not taken from us in this manner again and demanded an inquiry into disturbing reports about the handling of the investigation of the disappearance of little Courtney.

We also called on Premier Helen Zille and Mayor Patricia de Lille to act.

The following is an extract from the forum’s statement read at the memorial service, in the presence of Mbalula, MEC for Community Safety Dan Plato and MEC for Social Development Albert Fritz.

“Premier Helen Zille and Mayor Patricia de Lille, while we constantly hear about the lack of police, we seldom hear about the greater deficit of social workers you have oversight over. Additional social workers are needed to identify high-risk individuals, problem households and engage these households where there is known to be substance abuse and abuse of children, the abuse of the elderly and other vulnerable groups. They must put in place early warning interventions to protect the vulnerable, not the abuser.

“The Integrated Social Crime Prevention Strategy (2011) of the Department of Social Development requires the collaboration of government departments in implementing an effective crime prevention and substance abuse strategy. It identified the crime triangle of desire, target and opportunity. Opportunity can be controlled by paying attention to the entire community and environment.

“National government has the responsibility to provide security via the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the courts, but the province and the city have the biggest role in the creation of safety. Government must therefore make sure that the required number of social workers be employed by the province and the city, where social workers lead, but are supported by the Western Cape Health, Education, Community Safety departments, Liquor Authority, the City’s Safety & Security, and Spatial Development departments etc, and lastly SAPS and the courts. In this way they should all be working together to create a safe municipal environment for the most vulnerable in society.”

Minister Mbalula has acted on the call for an inquiry into the handling of the investigation of Courtney’s disappearance. We, however, wait to see some form of acknowledgement from Premier Zille and Mayor De Lille that acknowledges research from the Institute of Security Studies which reveals provincial and city departments have the biggest role in the creation of safety.

At least three speakers at Courtney’s memorial service echoed the forum’s call for more social workers to be active on the Cape Flats, in our schools and in our communities. We look forward to the premier and mayor saying what they will be doing to ensure they fulfil their constitutional obligation to promote a safe municipal environment for the most vulnerable in society.