A new spate of violence directed at children has sparked outrage in South Africa as the country continues to intensify its efforts to protect children.Bodies of some three children who were stoned to death in Naboomspruit, Limpopo Province were found at the weekend sparking outrage among South Africans on Monday.Bafana Kekana, 10-year-old Hosea Richard Kekana, and 12-year-old Johana Kekana, who were being cared for at the Montadi Youth Care Centre, were found on Saturday, with their hands and feet tied up with shoe laces. They had allegedly been stoned to death and the girl is believed to have been raped before being killed, according to the Government Communication and Information System.Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects whose motive for the killing was unknown.Following the incident, South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma issued a statement on Monday strongly condemning the killing as ‘ruthless’.”Such outrageous and inhuman action against defenselesschildren is a gross violation of the right to human life as enshrined in the Constitution. I am deeply dismayed by this heartless and inexplicable cruelty on children,” said Zuma. The President urged lawenforcement agencies to work around the clock to ensure that those responsible for the criminal act are brought to justice and made to face the full might of the law. “All forms of violence against children should never be tolerated in our society, we must all work together to ensure that, “ said the president. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protect children with all it can.The Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, urged the police to do everything in their power to apprehend the perpetrators involved in the killing. There are murderers on the loose, for as long as they are still roaming our streets, our children are not safe, this extreme form of brutality against innocent children must never go unpunished,” Xingwana said.The deaths of the children has raised concern about the fate of children in South Africa, where the levels of violence against children are among the highest in the world. “Tens of thousands of children are victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation every year – and offenders often go unpunished,” UNICEF Representative in South Africa Aida Girma said earlier this year. Statistics from the South African Police Service show there were more than 54,000 reported crimes against children between April 1, 2012 and March 31m 2011.However, crimes against children are grossly underreported and the real figure is believed to be much higher.
