SAHRC to probe foster kids’ disappearance

Limpopo -

The SA Human Rights Commission will investigate why it took as long as it did to report to the police the disappearance of three Limpopo foster home children, who were later found dead.

Democratic Alliance MP Mike Waters said the party had brought the matter to the commission's attention.

“The DA strongly believes that the deaths of three children, found stoned to death in Limpopo in August, could have been avoided if their disappearance was reported to the police earlier,” he said.

“We have reported this matter to the Human Rights Commission (HRC), and have received confirmation that they are looking into this matter.”

Brothers Bafana Kekana, nine, Hosea Richard Kekana, 10, and their cousin Johana Kekana, 12, were found dead near the Constantia resort, in Mokgopong (formerly Naboomspruit) on August 18. The care worker at their youth centre noticed that they were not home on August 15.

They had been stoned to death. At the time, police said bloodied stones, covered by a blanket and tree branches, were found near their bodies.

They were reportedly last been seen on August 15, during a protest demanding that vacant teachers' posts be filled at their school, Dikobo Primary.

Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said on Thursday no arrests had been made.

The investigation of their murders had been declared a priority. A task team had been assigned and a R100,000 reward offered, he said.

Permission had been obtained to have forensics samples gathered by police prioritised for analysis and results were expected “soon”.

“This is a serious case for us,” said Mulaudzi.

“We don't want to relegate other cases, but we have to take cognisance of the fact that we have kids who were killed.”

Waters submitted questions in Parliament to Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini in August.

According to her information, the children's disappearance from the Mantadi Youth Care Centre, where they lived, was detected during a routine check on the evening of August 15.

A care worker reported that they had not returned to the centre. The centre manager reported the “abscondment” to a departmental social worker on the morning of August 16.

The social worker went to the parents' home to check if they were there and, between then and August 18, checked in vain between the centre, other places they had lived and again at their parents' home.

“After the social worker exhausted all means of apprehending or finding the children, he then went to the police station to report the children as missing persons at the police station,” Dlamini said in her reply.

“However the police also required the manager of the centre to come to the police station to report the matter.”

When the centre manager arrived, she was told that three bodies had been found and she identified them as the missing children.

Centre manager Makoela Huanna Anna told Sapa she did not want to talk about “that terrible day” at the centre, which is home to 19 children.

The centre staff had received support and counselling after the murders, but she had yet to hear from the police, who had said they would let her know if anyone was arrested.

The Child Care Act does not provide that the police be immediately informed if a child from a centre goes missing.

According to the police's website: “There is no waiting period before reporting a person as missing; time is of the essence so it should be done immediately.”

A manager of a children's home, speaking on condition of anonymity, said children sometimes left in a “huff” and returned at dinner time.

Limpopo health and social development department spokeswoman Sinenhlanhla Gumede said social services had already given the MEC of social development a report on the deaths.

“We hope justice will be done for the three children and we will continue to support the family and the social services,” she said.

Limpopo education spokesman Pat Kgomo said there was doubt whether the children were actually at the protest march.

“They were never seen at the protest. They were taken from their place of safety and there were no records of them getting to school,” he said.

Four of the five vacant teachers' posts at the school - the cause of the protest the children supposedly took part in - had been filled.

“That matter has been corrected,” he said. - Sapa