30 YEARS OF A PROMISE. 30 DAYS OF ACTION.
On 8 May 1996, the National Assembly adopted the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. On 10 December 1996, President Nelson Mandela signed it into law. In that moment, South Africa made a sacred promise to its children: “Every child has the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation.” — Section 28.
Thirty years later, that promise was tested in the most brutal way.
On Friday, 01 May 2026, 16-year-old Hlologelo Malatji, a Grade 11 learner at Pheretla Maake Secondary School in Pharare Village, Greater Tzaneen, was found murdered and beheaded in the bush. A 17-year-old boy was arrested and linked to the crime.
The next morning, 02 May 2026, 2-year-old Omphile Sethole was taken from her grandmother’s bed at 02h00 in Ga-Mabuela Village, Tinmyne. She was wearing a pink jersey and black tights. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
This is not the Limpopo we are building. This is not the South Africa Mandela signed for.
As MEC for Transport and Community Safety, my mandate is clear: the safety and security of our people. And there is no safety without the safety of our children. Community Safety is not just about policing roads. It is about protecting the girl child walking to school. It is about ensuring the toddler sleeps safely at night. It is about making sure the taxi transporting learners does not become a death trap.
CHILD PROTECTION MONTH: FROM SLOGAN TO SOLIDARITY
On Sunday, 03 May 2026, South Africa launched Child Protection Month in eDumbe, KwaZulu-Natal, under the theme “Working together in ending violence against children.”
The campaign started as Child Protection Week in 1997. In 2019, it became a month because one week was never enough to confront the scale of violence against our children.
The statistics demanded more than a week. They demanded urgency.
In the first three quarters of the 2025/26 financial year, 8,984 cases of child abuse were recorded on the National Child Protection Register. 3,258 were sexual abuse cases. Statutory rape cases rose from 127 to 199. Even more disturbing, 890 children committed rape, and 129 rape victims were under 18 years old.
These are not just numbers. Hlologelo was 16. Omphile is 2. They are someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. Someone’s future.
COMMUNITY SAFETY MEANS PROTECTING CHILDREN ON EVERY FRONT
The Department of Transport and Community Safety does not stand on the sidelines. Our traffic officers stood on the N1 at Ysterberg this past week, protecting school children from a reckless driver who assaulted an officer while transporting learners on Reg. 2 Fancy L during Weekend Ya Ma-Workers.
Our role extends that protection beyond the road and into our communities, working hand-in-hand with SAPS, the Department of Social Development, NGOs, and the people of Limpopo.
Child Protection Month 2026 focused on strengthening the management of statutory rape cases: identification, reporting, investigation, and therapeutic support. This was critical because teenage pregnancy is rising, reporting gaps are failing children, and every child victim deserves immediate protection and psychosocial care.
A CALL TO THE PEOPLE OF LIMPOPO
On Tuesday, 05 May 2026, I visited the Malatji Matemane family in Pharare to convey condolences and to say: We mourn with you. We will not forget Hlologelo.
And to the family of Omphile: We searched with you. We will not rest until she is home.
To the people of Limpopo, the message remains: Child Protection Month starts with us.
To parents and guardians: Know who your children are with. Know who is transporting them. Talk to your teenagers about consent and respect.
To community members: If you see something, say something. Silence protects abusers, not children. Report crimes to SAPS on 10111 or through the MySAPS App.
To our traffic officers and SAPS: Thank you for your courage. You are the shield between our children and harm. We intensified joint operations throughout May in response to these crimes.
THE CONSTITUTION IS NOT A DOCUMENT. IT IS A DAILY ACT.
Thirty years ago, we chose a Constitution that places the dignity and safety of children at its centre. But a Constitution on paper means nothing if a child is not safe in her home, on her street, or in her school uniform on the N1.
Child Protection Month was our line in the sand. We refused to accept violence as normal. We refused to accept silence as neutral. We refused to accept that “it happens elsewhere.” It happened here. Now.
Let us honour Mandela’s signature by protecting every child, every day, in every community.
Let us make 30 years of democracy mean 30 days of action for our children.
Working together, we can end violence against children.