By Asiphe Mangumta
With everything that is happening in the country, Gynska Kembia is not comfortable with her girl child walking with other children after school even when the distance is short to their house. The 35 years old is living in the south of Delville,Gemirston with her husband and two daughters (one is doing grade 1 and the other still at pre-school). The family is from Congo and came to S.A in search of work and a better living. She wakes up early to prepare her daughters and herself, before walking them to the school. She does the same thing with the young daughter as they walk to school to fetch her sister in the afternoon. That’s her daily routine, without a day off except during school holidays or weekend. On weekend she looks after them herself or even locks them inside her yard.
When asked, why? She said, I don’t trust anyone with my children and with everything that is happening in the country it only makes me to be more resistant in letting them to walk with others from the neighbours. “Everytime when I switch on my television there is a girl child missing or a body of a child discovered somewhere, I don’t want to be in that situation with my daughters,that is why I’m being extra careful and never letting them out of my sight”, she said. Just the other day a boy in Parktown boy died, I don’t even know how many cases opened for missing girls, she added. When the schools were closed she was in fear of someone coming in their house to snatch her girls while playing, but now with the school opening she it’s better .According to her kidnapping has turned into a whole new level that a woman or children would just disappear into thin air and never be found or when she’s found they murdered her,that raises question and fear about being woman or a child and living freely in this country. People now have to live within certain boundaries, because you might be one of the alarming statistics of violence in South Africa. what is happening in south Africa is going to affect how children grow up, they’ll see themselves being limited to do certain things and not having the freedom to move around. “The increase in violence in the country will damage children’s mind, they will not reach their potential academically or in life generally”, she added.
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