Boiling water, hammers and iron pipes were among the instruments used to kill some of the 1Â 128 children murdered in South Africa last year.
This is according to Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula, who, in a written reply to a parliamentary question posed by the Democratic Alliance (DA), said almost a fifth of the child murders were committed by other children.
According to figures contained in his reply, a total of 324 (28,7%) children died as a result of being shot. A further 287 (25,4%) were killed by knives.
However, the third-largest category of causes of death — totalling 203 of the children — is headed ”unknown”.
In a statement on Thursday, DA spokesperson on child abuse Mike Waters questioned how seriously investigations into child murders are being carried out.
”According to [the] reply … in almost one fifth of child murders in 2004/05, no cause of death was identified, which means that it is almost certain that no autopsy was carried out.
”But an autopsy is the starting point of any investigation and an almost absolute requirement for a successful prosecution.
”The reply therefore raises questions about how seriously child murderers are being pursued, if even the basics of an investigation are not being carried out,” he said.
Waters said it is only when one sees the causes of death listed in the minister’s reply that the horror of the violence is brought home.
”Of these murdered children, 26 were kicked to death, ten were burnt to death and six were killed with a fist. Another six were killed with an axe. Boiling water, hammers and iron pipes were used to kill a further nine children.”
He said in 18 % of the cases no weapon was identified.
”Given the broad categories of weapons used — such as ‘sharp object’ and ‘blunt object’ — even a very superficial investigation should have been able to determine the cause of death.
”This suggests that there has, in fact, been virtually no investigation and, furthermore, it means that there is no forensic evidence available to base a prosecution on.
”It is, therefore, hardly surprising that the reply indicates that in 31,2% of cases, nobody was charged with the murder,” he said.
The young age of some offenders also raised alarm bells about the appalling levels of violent behaviour among young South Africans.
”Nineteen percent were under the age of 18, and a total of 34% of murders were carried out by people under the age of 21,” Waters said. — Sapa