“It is appalling and unacceptable that children are being killed week after week in this country. The lives of these innocent children were cut short and people are tired of the violence. The community say they are fearful and are left with unanswered questions while police try to track down the killers,” said Head of Action Society’s Action Centre, Kaylynn Palm after a mass shooting claimed the lives of three children over the weekend.
Children are being caught in the crossfires of gang violence in Khayelitsha and police have failed their duty to protect them. This weekend, three young children were gunned down in a local barbershop and the community is pleading for the police to make their township a place where children can prosper and grow without the fear of being shot.
According to a police statement, an unknown number of gunmen entered a barber shop on Saturday afternoon and opened fire on customers. Two children, aged 11 and 12, and an adult aged 30, were killed on the scene. Three other children were rushed to hospital where a 5-year old died of their injuries. In their statement, the police said they have reason to believe the shooting was extortion-related.
Action Society is deeply concerned with the rise of child murders. The latest statistics indicate that between 1 October and 31 December 2023, 285 children were killed in South Africa.
“The number of child murders is escalating, and we are calling on the government to take this issue seriously and at the same time calling on organisations, communities and citizens to take a stand,” she said.
“These children all had a name, a family and people who loved them; a mother, a father and maybe a brother and sister as well. We are urging police to do everything they can in this investigation so we can put the people who are responsible for the killings behind bars. We are also calling on the police to put structures in place to keep children safe from gang violence,” concluded Palm.
