Zille wants research into killings

AT A recent meeting about the child killings in the Western Cape, premier Helen Zille said she was not against a commission of inquiry, but she still wanted research done into the issue.

Valdi van Reenen-le Roux, director of The Trauma Centre and part of the Child Protection Collaborative, said that the meeting was called a “consultative engagement” and 10 organisations were present.

“The premier said she was not against a commission of inquiry, but she wanted research done.

“She said she wants a panel of experts from the University of the Western Cape, the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town. We do not know when this will be established.

“As organisations, we also don’t know how long the research is going to take, and in the meantime our children are still being killed in the Western Cape.

“But the ball is in the premier’s court, to do something about what is currently happening with the child killings in the province,” she said.

Two weeks ago the Community Chest had a dialogue with other organisations about child killings. The organisations expressed alarm at the rampant killings and said action was needed.

One of the women present at the dialogue, Lesley Muller of Hanover Park, said that the community had hit-men as young as 9 years old.

“They are used by gangs to kill, and our children get caught in the crossfire. We need to do something to help these kids,” she said.

Lorenzo Davids, Community Chest chief executive, said that they would be building multi-stakeholder civic coalitions to broaden co-operation for safer communities.

“There will no longer be claims to not hear, not see and therefore not do.

“During our engagements with other organisations these were the things which came up,” he said.