MK Party wants urgent parliamentary debate on missing people, kidnappings

The MK Party wants parliament to hold an urgent debate on the scourge of missing children and kidnapping and human trafficking incidents.

MK chief whip Sihle Ngubane wrote to National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza on Wednesday requesting her to convene the house on an urgent basis to debate the “alarming scourge” of missing people and human trafficking in the country.

Ngubane said he was making the request in terms of Rule 130 of the National Assembly rules. According to the rule, in exercising her discretion, the speaker has to consider:

• The nature and seriousness of the matter;
• The matter must bear sufficient public importance makers to warrant a deviation from a scheduled programme;
• The request must deal with a matter of national importance for which a government department can be held responsible, or falls within the scope of ministerial action.

Ngubane said the scourge of kidnappings, including human trafficking in the country, calls for urgent policing and police intelligence intervention.

“According to the latest SAPS crime statistics, reported cases of kidnapping stood at 4,300 last year in September,” he said.

“Recently, the Missing Children SA statistics found that 23% of missing children are trafficked, found deceased and never found at all.

“Missing Children SA has also found that more than 1,300 cases of kidnapping are reported every month in the country.”

Ngubane said the scourge of missing people affected both affluent and low-income families and that South Africa was rated as the transit, export and import economy for human trafficking victims.

He said there were reports that hotspot areas are in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, North West, Northern Cape and Free State.

As it stands, the SAPS reports that there are more than 1,500 missing people in the country. What is alarming is that the modus operandi of these criminals is to lure women and children through social media outlets, he said.

“We therefore need an urgent debate to discuss this matter; to look at the modality of enacting an urgent task team, which will deployed to arrest this scourge; but to also discuss issues of resourcing and capacity.”

Parliament went on recess on Friday and will reopen towards the end of August.

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