COSATU horrified at child murders
The Congress of South African Trade Union is horrified at the almost daily reports of the abduction, rape and murder of children in South Africa, which have made grim headlines around the world.
No words can begin to express the depth of people's revulsion at these brutal attacks on our most vulnerable citizens - our babies and children. Those found to be responsible deserve nothing but the harshest possible punishment the law allows.
These crimes are a symptom of a profound sickness within society. It partly reflects the poverty and deprivation within many of our poorest communities, but that in no way excuses the perpetrators. The overwhelming majority of poor South Africans, while struggling against terrible living conditions, remain caring and loving parents of their children, and do everything they can to give those children the chance to live a better life. They are those most adamant that these criminals must be caught and put behind bars.
Nevertheless the barbaric living conditions in areas like Deipsloot, the constantly changing population and the collapse of social and community structures, contribute to an environment in which it is easier for the criminal minority to get away, literally, with murder.
That is why, while doing everything possible in the short term to catch and punish the culprits, this must to linked to a longer-term plan to transform these communities of the poorest of the poor into stable, decent communities, with proper housing, schools, clinics, libraries, sports centres, police stations and all the other facilities which other, wealthier communities take for granted.
COSATU sends its condolences to all those whose loved ones have been so cruelly and violently taken from them and promises that it will never stop campaigning for the South Africa envisioned by the Freedom Charter, in which "all our people live in brotherhood, enjoying equal rights and opportunities".
Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, October 22 2013
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