Child neglect has been thrown back into the spotlight. Picture: iStock
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.
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.
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.
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