Pretoria - Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe says the harshest of sentences must be given to those who conduct themselves in brutal ways against innocent children.
Reacting to the recent murders of children in Gauteng, Radebe said such incidents ran against “every grain of the kind of society that protects the most vulnerable in society”.
“We urge the community, the investigating police, the prosecutors and the courts to send the sternest message that we as a society will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.
“Instead of pointing fingers at each other, it is high time that we made a difference in the communities where we live by ensuring that any conduct that gives suspicion to criminality must be reported to the police,” said Radebe when opening the new Cape Town’s Masters Office named after anti-apartheid stalwart, Dr Dullah Omar.
On Monday, police said a four-year-old girl was found dead Katlehong, Johannesburg. Her half-naked body was found by a passer-by hanging from a tree in an open veld.
In a separate incident also on Monday, a five-year-old girl was found dead beneath a pile of rubble in Diepsloot, northern Johannesburg. She was thought to have been suffocated with a plastic bag.
Radebe said his ministry will continue to strengthen the institutional framework of the Sexual Offences Courts so that they send the stern message that the harshest possible consequences will befall those who violate the rights of women and children. - SAnews.gov.za
