NGO, Missing Children SA, says there is a year-on-year increase of children going missing or being kidnapped in the country. This comes as a Johannesburg man is arrested for the alleged attempt to kidnap a child at a restaurant will be in court again on Friday.
The incident, which took place last Thursday, was captured on tape and the footage went viral. Earlier, four people accused of kidnapping a six-year-old girl in Vanderbijlpark pleaded guilty and were sentenced.
National Coordinator of Missing Children SA, Bianca van Aswegen, advises parents and communities to be vigilant and report any suspicious individuals immediately.
“We as an organisation see a yearly increase in our case load when it comes to children going missing as well as kidnappings happening, we as an organisation have dealt with about almost 400 cases already just for this year . Parents really need to be vigilant also dress your child in brightly coloured clothes when in a public and down at the beaches so they easily spotted in a crowd. The communities need to be vigilant If there is someone that doesn’t seem to need to be there or out of place please report it immediately. if your child goes missing it needs to be reported immediately there is no 24 hour waiting period. ”
In Durban, a teenage girl was nearly snatched in Avoca on Tuesday night. The 15-year-old was walking from a shop to her house, when two suspects in a car tried to pull her inside.
The alleged kidnapping attempt was reportedly disturbed by a resident.
In Johannesburg, Parkhurst Primary sent a letter to parents saying that on Monday, one of its Grade 7 girls reported an attempted abduction by a motorist.
