Foundation weighs in on deceased baby tragedy
Accusations fly on social media.
Residents are outraged after the Record has recently published an article about the death of a five-month-old baby, allegedly due to indirect negligence.
The baby died of meningitis and septicaemia, but at least four independent complainants claim the baby’s death could have been prevented if the parents or Roodepoort Child Welfare (RCW) had acted sooner.
Read initial article here: Baby would have been alive, says complainant
Founder of The Deon Rothman Foundation and anti-abuse activist, Ronel Hayes, had the following to say about the tragedy. “As our slogan says ‘Children can not stop child abuse, adults can’. That’s exactly what happened here. What is disturbing about this case, if true, is that so many people were aware of what was going on, yet the child remained in the parents’ custody. Why is the little girl still in their custody?” Hayes asked.
“It seems there is a need in Social Welfare as far as resources are concerned. But this is when they should reach out to organisations such as the Foundation and the community. We might not have the authority or mandate to remove children, but we can assist in other ways, such as financially.
“We will pursue this case relentlessly and are already involving the councillor for the area, Caleb Finn. Child Welfare’s excuses are unacceptable.
I also find it highly unlikely that there is a scarcity of foster parents,” she concluded.
Hayes started the Foundation after the alleged murder of six-month-old baby Deon Rothman (Pelser) in June last year.
RCW is currently investigating the incident.
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