A SMALL group of people gathered outside the magistrate’s court at Ceres in the Western Cape to protest against child labour in the area, SABC radio news reported. The protesters were supporting South Africa’s first ever child labour prosecution. The case stems from an incident in 1999 in which a farmer allegedly employed children during the school holidays. An eleven-year-old girl was injured while working at the farm and had to have a leg amputated. The Labour Department who investigated the case said they wanted to send out a strong message that anyone employing a child would be prosecuted. The Labour Department’s provincial executive manager, Siyanda Zondeki, said it was often difficult to enforce the law because the children’s parents allowed them to work. – Sapa