MBOMBELA – Following a number of deaths at initiation schools, all such cases will hence be investigated as murder.
Mr Vusi Shongwe, MEC for the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison (DCSSL) said during his recent budget speech that they were on high alert.
“As the province of Mpumalanga we have made serious strides in the fight against crime and corruption. The latest crime statistics placed our province at number two after the Free State. This is a robust display of the commitment and hard work by all law enforcement officers in the province.
“However, we want to appeal to parents and the people of Mpumalanga in general to ensure that they do not risk the safety of their children by allowing them to attend unregistered and fly by night initiation schools whose owners are only interested in making money at the expense of our children.
“Parents whose children have been taken without their consent should immediately report to the police. No child should lose his life during initiation. We will be working closely with Amakhosi and the whole community to ensure that we save lives.”
Shongwe said that after the loss of his own daughter Sethu, he wants to work hard to shield and protect other parents from the pain of losing children.
“No human being, whether rich or poor, black or white deserve to go through such pain.”
The Department is currently developing a concept document on a special project that will concentrate on children’s safety.
“We want to ensure children safety on the roads is everybody’s business. Adults and motorists must take responsibility and always give a right of way to children.”
The department also launched a mobile computerised learner’s license unit last week. The mobile unit will operate in the entire Mpumalanga to assist in curbing fraud and corruption in the licencing stations where computerised systems have not yet been implemented.
- Read the MEC’s full speech here.
