Tangeni Amupadhi and Stuart Hess
A SELF-APPOINTED “guardian” of street children is due to appear in a Durban magistrate’s court this week to face charges of indecent assault on several children in his care.
Reverend Livingstone Jacob, who founded and heads the Children Rights Ministry, was served with a summons this week to answer to seven charges of indecent assault, assault and indecent language, or crimen injuria.
Durban police refused to confirm the charges against Jacob on the record, but said seven children aged between nine and 15 were involved. The investigation covers alleged abuses between 1995 and the present.
Jacob declined comment on the charges, saying he was “still seeking legal advice”. He also declined to comment on other matters regarding his ministry, where he was still working on Tuesday.
Jacob has been a vocal campaigner for better treatment of street children.
Last year he went to the Human Rights Commission with a complaint against police officers whom he accused of mistreating street children.
The commission was following up on the complaint filed by Jacob when it learned that the police were investigating him, commission spokesman John Mojapelo said.
Jacob set up the Children’s Rights Ministry in 1990 with partial funding from overseas donors. The ministry offers shelter and counselling to between 400 and 500 children every month.
In the meantime, the Johannesburg police have yet to follow through on their vow to “immediately investigate” child prostitution at three hotels named by the Mail & Guardian last week.
The head of Johannesburg’s Child Protection Unit, Captain Edward Hutcheons, last week committed the unit to investigate child prostitution at the Europa, Little Roseneath and Diplomat hotels.
But instead, Hutcheons has taken three weeks’ leave. He did not inform acting unit commander Captain Carel Booysen of any planned action. “I am unaware of any investigation,” Booysen said.
The M&G returned to the hotels earlier this week, where the same girls were offering the same services, unhindered by any action of the police. “Come on in and fuck me,” one 13-year-old said.