By 
Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae is outraged by the flagrant abuse of children in the Free State.
In two separate incidents, Free State police managed to rescue children, the youngest being only two years old, after their mothers left them on their own and went missing for a number of days.
In the first case, siblings who are aged 3, 4, 12 and 15 were discovered alone, hungry and neglected in their home. Their mother had left the children on their own and her whereabouts were unknown and attempts to find her were unsuccessful. A relative came to the children’s aid.
In another case of neglect, a woman left her three children on their own for days without informing anyone where she was going. The neglect of the children was noticed by a teacher to the eldest child, who noticed the child in poor condition. The concerned teacher probed the child who revealed that her mother had left her and her two siblings, aged 2 and 5, alone at their home.
The police searched and arrested the mothers and were found guilty for neglecting their children. They were each given a five-year sentence, which was wholly suspended for three years.
In the last case, a 14 year-old school girl was sexually abused by a relative. The court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment, which was also wholly suspended for five years. He has also been declared unfit to work with children and his name has been placed on the sexual offenders register.
Premier Letsoha-Mathae said she was angered by the abuse of the children, and added that she was particularly incensed that in two of the cases, mothers were guilty of neglect of their children.
The Premier also appealed to the courts to impose harsher sentences to deter others from committing the same crimes.
“If we are going to win the battle against women and children abuse, we need everyone to play a role. A suspended sentence for neglecting a 2 year-old baby, who was later found extremely hungry, does little to discourage other irresponsible women from doing the same thing. We therefore, without necessarily dictating to the courts of law how to conduct their affair, to impose harsh sentences on offenders who abandon their children,” said Premier Letsoha-Mathae.
