Child goes missing as parent drinks in a tavern

The glare of public scrutiny falls on another parent for alleged neglect. A stark reminder of a national crisis where the disappearance of children has become an all-too-familiar headline.

A case of negligence has been opened against the parent of a five-year-old child who went missing in Potchefstroom, Goedgevonden village on Sunday.

The parent allegedly left two children, both toddlers, at home and went to a local tavern. Upon their return, one child was missing.

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Maletlhogonolo Hlongwane has been missing for almost a week now.

According to police, a search was done in the village where she was last spotted. However, nothing came from it.

“Maletlhogonolo was last seen wearing a red tracksuit top, peach trousers and no shoes. She is dark in complexion,” Police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh said.

Infant buried in shallow grave

The incident comes days after the grim discovery of a dead five-month-old baby boy in a shallow grave near a pit toilet in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal.

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According to The North Coast Courier, police said the baby‘s parents were allegedly intoxicated when the child died a week earlier.

It was reported that the father prompted the idea that he and the child’s mother bury the infant at a nearby river. Convinced, they allegedly tried but failed to dig a proper hole. This resulted in them returning home with the body.

The father allegedly threatened his wife after he and a friend buried the child near the pit toilet.

The mother reportedly told her family and reported the matter to the authorities.

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According to data from police, a child goes missing every five hours in South Africa, ,

Between September 2023 and February 27, 2024, police reported 348 missing children, with 207 of them being located or returning voluntarily.

However, a sobering statistic highlighted by Missing Children South Africa reveals that 23% of missing children remain unaccounted for, with many either never found, found deceased, or falling victim to human trafficking.