The traditionally quiet and relatively crime-free village of St Francis Bay was rocked and outraged this morning by the news that a 6-year-old school pupil from the adjoining Sea Vista community was murdered by an alleged stab wound through his neck.
The boy, whose name cannot be disclosed, was found in the bush near Assisi Drive, St Francis Bay - a large section of notorious indigenous bush where rape has occurred in the past and which divides the village from its industrial area and Sea Vista, an underprivileged community whose inhabitants mostly work in St Francis Bay or nearby Cape St Francis.
The boy's body was discovered by a Sea Vista resident at around 3 a.m. this morning. It was reported that the boy's overwrought mother and sister from Sea Vista had to identify the body at around 4 a.m.
Warrant Office Basil Seekoei of the SAPS said this afternoon that the boy had a stab wound to the neck and initial investigation reveals no evidence of physical abuse or sexual assault. A post-mortem of the body is expected soon.
Around 50 women from Sea Vista protested this morning at the St Francis Bay police station in Kansies Road against abuse of women and children and demanded to know who had found the boy and what he was doing in a dangerous area of common bush at 3 a.m. They expressed their dismay and concern that a search and rescue team involving the resources of the whole community had not been launched by the SAPS when he was reported missing by his grandmother late yesterday afternoon. Apparently, crack disaster units, the local fire department and NSRI were not contacted to help in the search.
Picture courtesy of St Francis Chronicle
Writing on Facebook, owner of the largest security company in St Francis Bay, Lynn Edwards, had this to say:
"I ask myself, can something more not have been done by the community of St Francis and Sea Vista had we been advised - got a search party together?? I know there is a whole big social issue out there but this is happening right on our doorstep and perhaps could have been averted."
Edwards' security team is frequently involved in apprehending and tracking down suspects in the village.
Local journalist and former crime reporter, Beth Cooper Howell, also writing on Facebook, echoed Edwards' plea:
"It has since come to light that a 12-year-old suspect has been detained and this is what I suspected - a peer-related fight. But the point is - every child counts.
"A community/police/NGO/municipal registry or action plan of some sort would go a long way towards minimising tragic situations such as these. He was a child and he was missing - someone should have been worried."
Cooper Howell in a separate email added:
"I'm convinced that our brilliant guys from the NSRI, volunteer fire station and other local heroes would be more than happy to be involved in an initiative that encompassed an immediate 'action plan' once a missing child/person alert was made public.
"As we stop fires and prevent drownings and come together in times of crisis, surely we must do the same when a child or adult goes missing?"
Edwards responded with a counter plea to Cooper Howell on Facebook:
"Beth, I find this totally unacceptable that nothing was done. I cannot understand that the Sea Vista community, local police forum, ourselves, NSRI, were not advised and a search party organised. The child was 6!
"I am sure if it were a missing child from the other side of Tarragona [road dividing St Francis from Sea Vista], this scenario would not have happened. Let something positive come out of this tragic story."
St Francis Bay has been struck by fire, repeated floods and the murder of a young child. The community's heart goes out to his mother, sister and grandmother while it ponders what more it might have done to prevent this tragedy.
