Missing children in South Africa: What do the stats say?
Recent data collated over the last three months on 2024 have revealed the disturbing number of missing children cases in South Africa, along with the provinces most affected.
According to Cape Town Etc, a total of 188 cases were reported between October and December, of which 102 children have since been found, while 86 still remain missing, some in more provinces than others.
As per the provincial breakdown, the Western Cape recorded the highest number of missing children with 56 cases in those three months. Of those, 40 children were found, while 16 are still missing.
Next up was the Free State with 42 cases, with 39 of those missing kids being located.
Gauteng reported 38 missing children, with, shockingly, only six found, leaving 32 still unaccounted for. This was the highest number of unresolved cases in any province.
KwaZulu-Natal then followed with 19 children, five found, still leaving 14 unaccounted for.
The North West revealed that 15 kids were reported missing, with only three found and 12 still unaccounted for.
Mpumalanga had nine missing kids cases, with eight being found, and just one still missing.
The Eastern Cape reported seven missing kids, and not one of them has since been found.
In Limpopo, two children were reported missing, with one found and one still unaccounted for.
The Northern Cape had no reported cases during this period.
Do you think more needs to be done to help reduce the number of these missing cases in SA?
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