The Democratic Alliance condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the brutal murder of a three-year-old child in Sulenkama, near Qumbu. This horrific crime, where the child was allegedly beaten to death by his stepfather, before his body was dumped in a plastic bucket and buried, exposes the extreme levels of violence faced by children in the Eastern Cape and reflects a deep and ongoing failure to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.
The details emerging from this case are disturbing and heartbreaking. Not only was his life taken from him, but his mother is alleged to have deliberately filed a false missing person’s report in an apparent attempt to mislead the police and avoid accountability.
No child should ever be subjected to such cruelty, abuse, and betrayal by those entrusted with their care. This was a complete violation of a child’s right to safety, dignity, and life.
As the DA, we demand swift, uncompromising justice. Those responsible must face the full consequences of the law, and there must be no delays or procedural failures that undermine accountability in this matter.
Beyond this individual case, the DA demands urgent and decisive action to strengthen child protection mechanisms across the province. This includes improved coordination between SAPS, social development services, and community-based structures to ensure early detection of abuse and effective intervention before lives are lost.
The DA will closely monitor the progress of this case through the criminal justice system and will continue to hold the provincial government and law enforcement agencies accountable for their responsibility to protect children from violence and abuse.
This tragedy must serve as a turning point. The Eastern Cape cannot continue to normalise the brutalisation of its children.