08 Jul 2021

A high number of child negligence in Good Hope Sub-district remains a concern. 

Speaking in an interview recently, the su-district’s assistant district commissioner, Ms Peggy Kutlase said it was disheartening to see parents still not taking proper care of their children. 

She said unbecoming behaviour was rife, particularly in villages along the border with South Africa, adding that some parents crossed the border to work in South Africa’s farms, leaving their children to fend for themselves. 

She said most ended up not having basic documents such as identity cards, making it difficult for them to access social grants or even attend school, adding that some of the children engaged in drug abuse. 

Ms Kutlase stated that one of the most hard hit villages was Tsoaneng, which is sandwiched between the cattle posts and farms. 

This tiny settlement, just like many others across the country, started off as a cattle post, but has since evolved into a village, with basic amenities such as a primary school and a health post. 

She said it was in this village where there were numerous cases of child negligence, which in turn led to delinquent behaviour, adding that due to rife abuse of drugs and illicit brews, families ended up being disintegrated, with a high number of gender based violence incidents. 

She said this could also lead to rampant teenage pregnancy. 

As a mitigating factor, Ms Kutlase said they carried outreach initiatives, targeting vulnerable groups such as children and mothers, while other stakeholders such as Stepping Stones International Good Hope, held workshops in hardest hit communities. 

For his part, Good Hope  police station commander, Mr Mogomotsi Kwapa, concurred that child negligence was rife, with a lot of defilement cases. 

He divulged that in the first quarter of this year, they registered eight defilement cases, with some of the minors ending up being pregnant. 

Mr Kwapa said the unfortunate thing was that parents were still reluctant to come forward with information, while some victims claimed not to know the perpetrators, which made it hard for the police to prosecute. 

He said they were also concerned about gender based violence and stock theft, adding that ‘we have 12 assault common cases and seven have already been prosecuted in lower courts’. 

The station commander stated that as a mitigation factor, they were working closely with other stakeholders to sensitise the public in the hard hit villages. ends