POLOKWANE – When she saw her six-year-old daughter being led down the road by an unknown man, her blood ran cold.
Katryn Beukes said she took her daughter to play at a park in Devenish Street on Sunday where she had a lot of fun playing with the other children there.
“I took a walk around the park, but could still see the children. My eye also caught a man in the park with two small dogs. He was talking to the children and they played with the animals. It did not seem strange at first and I did not pay him any attention,” she said.
She said she finished her walk and realised, when she returned to the children, that her daughter was not with them. “I called out her name and was shocked when she answered from outside the park. She held the hand of the man with the two dogs and he was leading her down the street.”
Beukes said she immediately called her daughter back and the man just kept on walking away.
Her daughter told her that the man wanted to show her some of the dogs’ toys.
He apparently said he did not live very far from the park and they would be back before her mother even knew she was gone.
Beukes said the incident had been reported to the Polokwane police station and they had told her they would investigate.
Polokwane police spokesperson WO Lesiba Ramoshaba said he was not aware of the case, but would make enquiries.
He said parents should know where their children were at all times.
He also said the following would assist parents should their children ever go missing:
• Have identity photos taken of your children every six months and have them fingerprinted.
• Keep your children’s medical and dental records up to date.
• Parents should make sure that online safety comes first. The internet is a good tool, but it is also a place for predators to stalk children. Be aware of your children’s internet activities and chat room “friends,” and remind them never to give out personal information.
• Set boundaries about the places your children go. Supervise them in places like malls, movie theatres, parks and public bathrooms.
• Never leave children alone in a car or stroller, even for a minute.
Beukes said she was grateful that her daughter was safe and she hoped her experience would serve to warn other parents to be on the lookout at all times.
“If I had not been there, my child may have left with the man and never come back,” she concluded.
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