‘We want justice for Baby Jamie’ – grandfather
Following the death of Jamie Faith Naidoo (Baby Jamie) last month, the paternal grandparents of the slain toddler have spoken out about the difficulty they experienced while trying to get custody of her.
According to Baby Jamie’s grandfather, Vivian van Vuuren, the couple flew from Cape Town to Durban to get the adoption process started in 2011, Rising Sun Chatsworth reported.
“We applied to the Child Welfare KZN for custody of Jamie, but social workers told us that there would be a screening process for both parents and grandparents,” Van Vuuren said.
Custody was ultimately granted to Jamie’s maternal grandmother, Salatchee Venilla Basanich, whose house the toddler was found dead in last month.
It was believed that the two-year-old, who was buried last week, had been tortured and beaten to death, allegedly by her mother and maternal grandmother.
It was also believed that the toddler had been raped.
According to Van Vuuren, Basanich was granted custody because she was also fostering Jamie’s siblings. Social workers reportedly said it would have been more suitable for the child to live with her siblings in the same home.
“We wanted to give her a loving, stable home and a good upbringing,” he added.
In 2012, the couple flew to Durban for Jamie’s a birthday party and tried to apply for custody again, but were turned down.
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“Although we were unable to get custody of Jamie, we kept in contact with social workers [and tried] to figure out how we can eventually give Jamie a stable life,” said Van Vuuren.
Child Welfare KZN had allegedly told them to try again in 2016.
“We are very angry and sad by the news of Jamie’s killing and we want justice. Had we been given custody of our innocent, defenceless granddaughter, she would still be alive,” Van Vuuren said.
He added that he felt the fault lay with the system, and that the screening process was not done properly.
“Social workers need to be more equipped in terms of screening foster applicants to avoid another death of an innocent child,” he said.
Jamie’s grandmother and mother are currently in police custody expected to re-appear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for their bail application.
– Caxton News Service
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