An 8-year-old girl was abducted in Goodwood on Saturday after being out with a family friend.
The girl, whose name is being withheld to protect her, has been returned to her family home in Bishop Lavis, but there has been a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks, and a police task team is investigating the “disturbing pattern”.
Police spokeswoman Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said they were investigating an abduction.
“The child was found this afternoon at her family home and
taken for medical attention.
We appeal to the community to protect children from strangers and educate children about stranger danger,” Sergeant Rwexana said.
Last week another Cape Town pupil was abducted, which ended with her being raped while on her way to school.
It followed the provincial education department saying it had received reports of two kidnappings in the Zonnebloem area, and one attempted abduction in Rylands.
On Friday, the body of 9-year-old Previledge Mabvongwe was found near a dump in Kraaifontein. She was last seen on her way home from school.
According to police, the 8-year-old Bishop Lavis girl and a family friend were at Vasco train station on Saturday when they were approached by a man who said he worked for a major retailer, and that the girl fitted the “profile” for a modelling campaign.
The friend and the girl then walked with the man to N1 City Mall, and on the way the man gave the friend money to buy cold-drinks. “When she returned, he told (the friend) to wait for a taxi which would take her home to fetch another child for the promotion. He walked off with the 8-year-old. The complainant later ran to N1 City to find that (the retailer) was closed,” police said.
Provincial police commissioner spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said all police stations had been directed to intensify their crime-awareness efforts focusing on crimes against women and children.
“The Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units will internally conduct oversight cluster sessions based on common trends they find in investigations they conduct into child abductions, child rapes and murders.
“Provincially, a detective task team looking into crimes against children (child rapes, abductions and murders) has been set up,” Brigadier Potelwa said.
There were regular briefings between SAPS and the Hawks, who investigate child and human-trafficking cases.
– Cape Times