‘Middelburg Monsters’ – Comments
Statistics don’t lie! And statistics concerning the town’s children tell a sombre tale.
A horrifying tale of neglect, rejection, abuse and victims of broken marriages.
One Sunday a Church Minister said a teacher inquired about children in his class whose parents were divorced. The result that almost three-quarters of parents were divorced was shocking.
Graphics on the town’s community services indicated how child victims were increasing year after year – they already run into thousands.
A couple will be sentenced in Court next Thursday after their two little daughters were raped. The parents themselves will be standing in the dock.
It is nauseating, repulsive what happened to these children – among other abuses was that one of the victims was tied to a bed with cable ties and then raped.
The community demands justice in this matter and the old principle that not only must justice be served, but that the community must see that it is done, has motivated the Observer to request the Court to directly televise the sentencing.
Update: ‘Middelburg Monsters’ in court
This is an enormous task and responsibility as it will be the first time it will happen in South Africa.
The action is quite simple. The proceedings are recorded on camera and will be televised immediately on the webpage of the Observer, www.mobserver.co.za.
Technically it is a huge challenge, but the Observer, as one of the leading newspapers in the country, will do everything possible to make this work. And if it is successful, it will allow the country to see that justice prevails; that children will see that they need not to be victims.
Resident of the week: Councillor Hennie Niemann was nominated by residents of his ward. According to them you deserve a mouth-watering meal to the tune of R200 at Amazon’s Restaurant.
Thorn of the week: The town’s water mains are bursting all over the place and people regularly find themselves without water.
