South African parents nationwide are grappling to come to terms with the recent spurt of child deaths in recent weeks. Many families have been left distraught by what many are calling “a plague amongst young people.”
In response to that 5Fm has launched a campaign, ‘Black Friday’ that will take place on July 25. This will be a day where people are encouraged to wear full black to show their sadness and outrage over the numerous incidents of tragedies that have blighted South Africa in recent weeks
This was after little Taegrin Morris lost his life at the hands of hijackers who mercilessly dragged him for 4kms before abandoning the stolen car. Taegrin was one of the many little children that lost their lives in recent weeks. As the generation of tomorrow slowly withers away at the hands of suicide or death, parents are left with many unanswered questions.
How safe are our children? Will they return safely when we bid them farewell? These questions sent ripples through Dundee when three boys went missing in June, fortunately they were found unharmed.
Sadly when a three year old went missing in Bloemfontein on July 8 only her corpse with 99 stab wounds was found. So too with four year old Lungisani Ntuli who was found cut up in a local church in Pongola.
Shock the nation
The case of the six year old that went missing after his parents were hijacked in Bronkhorspruit, could easily be another tragic tale. Sadly this is a reality for parents nationwide. While these deaths shock the nation, the youth continue to perish. Suicide rates have also climbed high this year when 15 year old Minenhle Mdlalose sadly committed suicide on July 4.
Her passing away sent waves of sadness throughout Kwa- Zulu Natal, so to when a 12 year old boy from Newcastle hung himself in May. This was after he was publicly humiliated at school, the death of a six year old boy who hung himself from a freezer door after his parents divorced also sent waves of panic and sadness throughout.
As more young people are laid to rest each day, the question of, Are our children safe is posed yet again? With that in mind the Courier urges people to take part in Black Friday and show support to the many mourning families.
