Child faces bleak Christmas

2003-12-24 08:40

Zoubair Ayoob

Durban - A 13-year-old girl from Gauteng is facing a bleak Christmas after allegedly being abandoned in Durban by her uncle and his girlfriend.

The girl was picked up by police on Monday and is currently being cared for by Pinetown Child Welfare.

Durban Children's Society's Sheila Mason said she has thus far only been able to extract an address in Pretoria from the girl. The girl said her mother does have a telephone, but she could not remember the number.

Mason said she has been in contact with Pretoria police and radio stations to track down the girl's parents, but has had little luck thus far. "[Today] is Christmas Eve. What do we do with this child? I am getting desperate," she said.

Mason said the girl was allegedly brought to Durban by an uncle. Once in the city, however, the girl was left to fend for herself.

"The uncle's girlfriend told her to go to the police, who would look after her. They had things to do and would fetch her from the police later," she said.

Fortunately, the girl was picked up by police, who immediately contacted Mason. The girl was also able to provide the name of her school, Danville Primary, but this is of little help to Mason, as schools are closed.

One ray of hope, however, emerged from a Durban person who offered to pay the girl's airfare to Gauteng if her parents can be located.

Police spokesperson Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said some aspects of the girl's plight are still being investigated. "If these are verified, we will institute charges under the Child Care Act," he said.

Meanwhile, childcare personnel are bracing themselves for the usual deluge of children lost on Durban's beaches on Christmas Day and the following Day of Goodwill.

- The Witness