Our murdered children point to policing failures

THE data is out once again. Two children are murdered on average in the Western Cape every day. Whether it's 2025, 2024 or 2023, the data about child murders remain stuck. The hard facts are that these are politically black children.

- LORENZO A DAVIDS

These are children of which the overwhelming majority live in violent townships. These are the children of very poor people. These are children between 15 and 17. These are children who don't rate high on any priority list. Not as high as farmers. It's common to hear politicians say, “The community must keep their children away from gangs and off the streets. It's the community’s duty to protect their children. We need better parenting.” And from the deep hollow of my guts, I want to scream.

About 730 children die violently each year. In police precinct after police precinct, every gang is known. The overwhelming majority of gang members are known to police. Every gang hide-out is known. Every gang leader is known. Every drug den is known. And in several cases, most hits, executions and gang fights are also either known or anticipated. The police know.

Gathering local intelligence about crime has become the burdened duty of parents and care givers. However, police stations do possess critical intelligence related to criminal activity that they don’t act upon.