A viral video in which a mother feeding her toddler alcohol along the main road in Woodstock has caused outraged.
PICTURE: PixabayWoodstock ward councillor, Yusuf Mohammed, said
he was made aware of the incident, last Monday
‘’Upon receiving the video, we shared it with
all our safety stakeholders to determine the whereabouts of this mother or her
child. The NSOs and I set out to visit hotspots near the recorded location,
following up on information and tips. Through persistent efforts, the team was
ultimately able to identify the mother and the child. We managed to catch up
with her,’’ Mohamed stated.
Following their intervention, the toddler was
taken to the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) victim support unit, where
they awaited the arrival of social services.
‘’Social development informed us that this
mother already had an existing case of neglect against her. Earlier this year,
she was intoxicated and had previously dropped her child. The child was taken
from her care and only returned approximately six days ago, leading to this
troubling footage of her feeding alcohol again,’’ said Mohammed.
The Western Cape Department of Social Development
(DSD) confirmed the incident, adding however, it cannot comment on specifics of
cases.
‘’We appreciate the proactive engagement with
councillor Mohammed and encourage others to follow suite. Partnership with
civil society or levels of government and communities are critical in
addressing a number of social ills specifically the safeguarding of children and
vulnerability of groups,’’ said Monique Mortlock-Malgas, WCDSD spokesperson.
‘’Generally when a child is removed, this is
confirmed by the children’s court and a social worker conducts a child protection
investigation, presents findings to the court and then decides on the further
placement of the child,’’ she added.
Malgas says there are 43 000 children in the
foster system in the Western Cape, which she says puts strain on the system
‘’Any assistance to the department or NGO to
strengthen the safety net are welcome. People can volunteer to become safety or
foster parents or donate via the Cape care fund for the strengthening of NGO’s’’
Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith,
commended the officers for their quick response. “Their response helped ensure
the child’s safety and shows how local stakeholders can work together towards
safer communities.’’
Smith urged those struggling with substance
abuse to seek help by contacting the City’s Social Development Department or
calling 0800 872 201 for confidential assistance.
Done By: Shaneca Cupido
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