Child trafficking scare at Zoo Lake
by Nonkululeko Mbuli, a journalist writing for the Rosebank Killarney Gazette where this article was first published
Their Friday routine was to visit Parkview library, spend time at Zoo Lake children’s playground and, at noon, return for lunch at home a block from the park.
But an attempted child-trafficking incident has left a Parkwood family distraught. According to the childminder, a man approached her while she played with her employer’s three-year-old daughter at Zoo Lake.
“In English with a strong Nigerian accent he said, ‘Lets make a deal – you give me this child and I give you a lot of money,’” she said.
“When the tone of his voice changed I realised he was serious.
The minder pushed the girl behind her and shouted. A couple saw the commotion, came to their aid and the man sauntered back to his friends. The minder vowed never to return to Zoo Lake. “I never felt unsafe before. I can’t sleep at night, it replays in my mind
The child’s mother, a Parkwood resident for 20 years, was very concerned. “You don’t believe this can happen to your child. This is clearly a cartel dealing in child-trafficking. “My fear is how to keep my child and child-minder safe. If these men can’t buy a child, they’ll forcibly take a child.”She was worried about people loitering around the play area at Zoo Lake, and felt it might become a breeding ground for child traffickers.
Colonel Nanda Moodley of Parkview police said, “It was decided City Parks should beef up security in the park, while Metro police will patrol on weekends. I’ve suggested mounted police and plain-clothes officers.”
He urged caregivers to be vigilant.
Both Constable Bongi Mdletshe (Rosebank police) and Warrant Officer Kriban Naidoo (Hillbrow police) said they hadn’t heard of similar incidents in the Gazette area. “But we’re nearing the festive season and criminals are becoming creative,” said Naidoo. “Parents must be cautious and go the extra mile to protect their children.”
Pool safety saves lives
By Stephen Doyle, father of 2 boys, loves surfing, fishing, canoeing and mountain biking. An avid rugby fan and general manager of PowerPlastics Pool Covers
When my oldest boy was 3yrs old, he took a plastic chair and a brick, wedged the bottom half of the pool fence gate open with the brick, then climbed on a chair to unlock the top latch and slipped in. The gate closed behind him and the pool was uncovered. Fortunately I was watching and acted immediately. I was lucky but not all parents are.
Drowning remains one of the top causes of unnatural childhood death in South Africa. According to recent statistics, nearly 72% of near-drownings occur around the home and only 1.22% at the beach. Three-year-old children seem particularly vulnerable and constitute almost half the total. Furthermore, for every child that dies from drowning, five are left with permanent brain damage from the lack of oxygen that occurs in a near-drowning.
Drowning is commonly a silent event. The child makes no noise to alert their parent or carer. Babies can drown in just a few centimetres of water in the time it takes to make a cup of coffee.
Overseas, pool safety is a legislative issue and pool builders are obliged by law to advise on and fit adequate safety measures to any pool they install. South Africa has at last tabled similar municipal by-laws but this has merely resulted in heated debates and petitions about the proposed legislation, not in any decisive action. Yet.
“There are massive discrepancies when one compares safety legislation in other industries. The motor industry is not allowed to manufacture vehicles without seatbelts and neither can the chemical industry be negligent with hazardous substances. Open pools are equally dangerous A solid safety pool cover is the most effective physical layer of safety, as long as it has drainage holes to avoid rain or sprinkler-water forming a small puddle on top of the cover. Just a few millimetres of water can be fatal to a curious child.
But a cover only saves lives if it is actually on the pool. Being lazy about re-securing a pool after use is surprisingly common. The new safety covers on the market are hassle-free and without hooks and eyelets – no brute force required which is great news for Moms! Next time you ‘can’t be bothered’, consider the alternative – retrieving a lifeless child from your pool due to your negligence?
Even if one doesn’t have children, it is still crucial to consider safety for visitors. Often toddlers unaccustomed to being near pools are most at risk. Families living in residential complexes with a communal pool should insist that their body corporate install a safety cover.
It might be more socially acceptable to label child drowning as ‘accidental’ but strip the sugar-coating and what you’re left with is actually involuntary manslaughter. And that is not a label anyone wants to wear.
No chances childproofing
By Wendy Walker the mother of 10 month old Jaron who keep her on the go and inspires her and her husband Bruce as they head up Babyproofessionals.
There I was in my heavily pregnant state – back aching, feet more swollen than my baby shower balloons and anxiety increasing with every direction I glanced in my home. Detergents within reach of a creeping crawling baby. Loose bookshelves that threatened to tip if I walked past too quickly, not to mention the climbing antics of a toddler. How would I know if the sweet furnishings n the crib were a secret death trap? What would I do if my bay stopped breathing? As my huffing and puffing turned to gasping, well-meaning friends tried to convince me my child “probably” wouldn’t succumb to any of the hazards I’d seen played out in my mind. Probably wasn’t good enough for me. And so off I went to do my research… and the classic advice “Get on your hands and knees and see the house through the eyes of a baby” just wasn’t going to cut it in my pregnant state, not to mention the drilling and hammering and picking and sticking that would have to follow an expensive spree for baby proofing items.
“There ought to be professionals to do this kind of thing,” I thought to myself. And so it was that BABYPROOFESSIONALS was born – a professional baby proofing service offering everything from assessments and educations to supplies, installations and an online safety store.
In the course of our training and practice, we have found home items that can be dangerous to your child. Here are 5 of the many examples:
Of course the average home is riddled with many more dangers than these, but we’ll keep that for another article! Keep SAFE and enjoy your little explorer!
Have you had any close shaves at home with safety? Tell us about it.
