07 November 2023
By Lungani Mhlongo
SAPS worried about the waste of resources in some missing children cases.
The South African Police Service in Ekurhuleni District is disturbed by several missing children cases reported to police stations that end as false cases.
The Family Violence, Child Protection Services and Sexual Offences Unit is urging parents to take responsibility for their children and keep track of their whereabouts at all times.
This comes after four children aged 13 to 18 were reported missing at four different stations last week. All teenagers returned home safe and were apparently visiting friends. It is said that most children go to parties without informing their parents about their plans. Some disappear for days and become unreachable even on their cellphones, which make their parents panic and open cases of missing persons at the police station.
Ekhuruleni police spokesperson Captain Neldah Sekgobela said police stations with the largest number of missing children reports are in Etwatwa, Reigerpark, Vosloorus, and Edenpark.
"We are making an appeal to parents to improve communication channels between themselves and their children. This will help us save state resources and ensure safety of our children at all times," said Sekgobela.
Meanwhile, Vosloorus Policing Forum member Cynthia Buthelezi echoed Sekgobela's words, saying parents must know about the whereabouts of their children at all times.
''We must keep these kids in check because some of them are too forward, they do as they please," she said. "Police have limited resources, and we must utilise those resources to real cases that need urgent attention."
