Home | News | COPS, DPM PROBE NEGLECTED, ABUSED KIDS’ CASE

COPS, DPM PROBE NEGLECTED, ABUSED KIDS’ CASE

19/09/2020 07:31:00 BY Zwelakhe Moahloli

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MBABANE – A breakthrough into the abuse of four minors has been made.

The minors are said to have been emotionally and physically abused, allegedly by their biological mother.

The children, who reside with their mother at an area known as Matakini, which is situated between Nsoko and Mbutfu Army Barracks along the Lavumisa/Big Bend road, are aged one, two, six and eight.

Also, one of the older children is suspected to have been sexually abused by an unknown person.

Concern

The alleged abuse of the children was noted by some community members of Matakini.

Out of concern, community members tried to reprimand the mother, *Sonto, about her social behaviour. However, the community did not report the abuse to the police due to various reasons.

This means the community might have contravened the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 2018 (SODVA).

The community members noted with concern that Sonto would leave the children unattended while she went out to while away time at a local drinking spot.

Some of the residents confided in this publication that Sonto would make the children collect firewood and also cook for themselves.

They described such as posing a danger to the children.

“These children could be attacked while in the bush gathering firewood or be bitten by snakes. They can also injure themselves with the bush knives they use to cut the firewood. “Coming to the cooking part, it is a good thing to teach your children to be independent. However, you need to be around to monitor them,” said one resident. An impeccable source disclosed that the Lubombo Social Welfare Office and Lubuli police had reacted to the allegations.

“They have come to the area to investigate the matter. We hope an arrest will be made soon,” the source said. The source expressed hope that the children would be taken to a place of safety. Another source within the Social Welfare Department, which is under the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, disclosed that the children were taken for medical examination at Matsanjeni Health Centre. The source disclosed that they were shocked to learn that one of the children had been sexually abused. The other children, the informant said, were malnourished.

“The department is yet to compile a report which will be taken to the police. I can tell you, some people are going to be arrested here,” the source said.

Investigation

Also, the source hinted that the department was looking for a half-way house where the children would be kept in the event they were to be taken away from their mother. A community member who asked to remain anonymous revealed that he saw a contingent of police officers at Sonto’s homestead last Tuesday.

He said he was not privy to what might have transpired, but suspected that the police were engaging Sonto about her children.

Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni said police, together with officers from the Lubombo Social Welfare Department, visited Sonto’s homestead with the intention of investigating the allegations. Mnguni said the officers indeed discovered that there were elements of abuse.

However, she said the children had not been taken away because investigations were still ongoing.

She mentioned that the officers took the children to Matsanjeni Health Centre for medical check-ups. Once the outcome of the medical results in known, Mnguni said police would then act.

Currently, she said Sonto was being monitored by the police on how she took care of the children.

The Social Welfare Department also confirmed that the children were taken for medical check-ups.

Mihla Khumalo, who is the Communications Officer at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, said the matter was now being handled by the police. Two weeks ago, Eswatini News broke the story of the alleged abuse after being tipped off by community members of Matakini.

The community members alleged that one of Sonto’s children had been sexually abused.

They alleged that the perpetrator was one of Sonto’s suitors who had followed her from a drinking spot.

In an interview with the publication, Sonto denied that the suitor could have abused her daughter.

However, she pointed out that her daughter told her that she woke up to find the man brushing her.

She stated that she did not report the incident to the police because she believed nothing happened.

When told that she could have contravened Section 70 (1) of the SODV Act, the mother of four pleaded ignorance.

Identity

Part of the section reads: “Any person who witnesses or receives any information of an offence under this Act or has reasonable grounds to believe that an offence under this Act has taken place or about to take place shall report the case to the police or to the relevant structure.” However, she said did not report the matter because she feared being arrested.

Asked why, Sonto said no one would look after the children if she was to be sent to jail.

Also, she said she did not know where the suitor resided because they met at the drinking spot.

She disclosed that the man was a Mozambican national who had come to Eswatini to seek employment. “He might have gone back to his native country,” Sonto said when pressed further about the man’s identity.

Besides the alleged abuse, one of the children, who is eight years old, is not attending school. Most children of her age are in Grade III. The child’s being not in school is much against the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act of 2012. Section 9 (1) of the Act state that a child has a right to access education, preventative health services, adequate diet, clothing, shelter, medical attention, social services or any other services required for a child’s development.

Certificates

Asked why the child was not attending school, Sonto explained that all her children did not have birth certificates.

“The main reason being that I do not have an ID (Identity Document), myself. I do not know when I will acquire one” she said.

Matakini Indvuna Bongiwe Mngometulu said they had tried to engage Sonto on the issue.

She mentioned that they were concerned as a community that the child would miss out on education, which was provided for free by government. In earlier interview, Save the Children Advocacy and Communications Officer Lusito Tsela stated that the responsibility of parents was to meet a child’s needs. He said every child had a right from birth. “Our government has provided free primary education. So it is a crime to deny a child an opportunity to learn,” the spokesperson said. He pointed out that the office of the DPM made a provision that every child should attend school by providing temporaryPersonal Identity Numbers (PINs).

Tsela described Sonto’s excuse on the birth certificate as lame.