Latest news with #MCSA
IOL News
7 days ago
- General
- IOL News
How to protect your child during National Child Protection Week: Steps to take if they go missing
During National Child Protection Week, South Africa faces a devastating crisis with children going missing every five hours. This article explores the statistics, the challenges faced by authorities, and essential tips for families to protect their children. As South Africans observe National Child Protection Week, the disappearance of children is an ongoing and devastating crisis in South Africa. According to the South African Police Service's (SAPS) Missing Persons Bureau, released in 2013, a child goes missing every five hours. Despite the alarming rate, no updated national statistics have been made public in over a decade. SAPS reported that between 2020 and 2025, it has reunited 2,963 missing children with their families—1,919 girls and 967 boys. While these figures offer a glimmer of hope, they only scratch the surface of a much deeper issue. Too Many Still Missing Data from Missing Children South Africa (MCSA) indicates that 77% of children reported missing are eventually found. This number might seem big but it still leaves a 23% unaccounted for. These children are presumed to be victims of trafficking, violence, or worse. Children remain among the most vulnerable to gender-based violence and exploitation. 'We cannot ignore the fact that nearly a quarter of missing children are never found,' said a representative from MCSA. 'This is a national emergency that requires immediate attention, sustained awareness, and coordinated community and government action.' What To Do When a Child Goes Missing Don't wait—report immediately at the nearest police station. Bring a recent, clear photograph and detailed description of the child and their last known whereabouts. Complete the SAPS 55(A) form, which allows authorities to circulate the child's information. Get a case number, and stay in contact with the investigating officer. Notify Missing Children South Africa with the official case number and required documentation. If your child returns, you must inform both SAPS and MCSA to close the case and avoid unnecessary continuation of the search.
IOL News
7 days ago
- General
- IOL News
National Child Protection Week: What to do when a child goes missing
As South Africans observe National Child Protection Week, the disappearance of children is an ongoing and devastating crisis in South Africa. According to the South African Police Service's (SAPS) Missing Persons Bureau, released in 2013, a child goes missing every five hours. Despite the alarming rate, no updated national statistics have been made public in over a decade. SAPS reported that between 2020 and 2025, it has reunited 2,963 missing children with their families—1,919 girls and 967 boys. While these figures offer a glimmer of hope, they only scratch the surface of a much deeper issue. Too Many Still Missing Data from Missing Children South Africa (MCSA) indicates that 77% of children reported missing are eventually found. This number might seem big but it still leaves a 23% unaccounted for. These children are presumed to be victims of trafficking, violence, or worse. Children remain among the most vulnerable to gender-based violence and exploitation. 'We cannot ignore the fact that nearly a quarter of missing children are never found,' said a representative from MCSA. 'This is a national emergency that requires immediate attention, sustained awareness, and coordinated community and government action.' What To Do When a Child Goes Missing Don't wait—report immediately at the nearest police station. Bring a recent, clear photograph and detailed description of the child and their last known whereabouts. Complete the SAPS 55(A) form, which allows authorities to circulate the child's information. Get a case number, and stay in contact with the investigating officer. Notify Missing Children South Africa with the official case number and required documentation. If your child returns, you must inform both SAPS and MCSA to close the case and avoid unnecessary continuation of the search.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man Who Strangled Mom With Bungee Cord for "Sleeping Around" Learns Fate
Neil Howard, 46, will serve 30 years in prison after being convicted of murdering his mother, 60-year-old Norma Caraker Caraker was strangled to death with a bungee cord in Sept. 2023 after returning home from a date, according to detectives with the Troy Police Department Howard had been growing 'angrier and angrier and angrier" about his mother allegedly "sleeping around," said Assistant State's Attorney Luke Yager in his closing statement An Illinois man has learned his fate after a jury convicted him of strangling his mother to death with a bungee cord. Neil Howard, 46, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for strangling his mother Norma Caraker, 60, after she returned home from a date, according to a news release from the Madison County State's Attorney's Office. Assistant State's Attorney Luke Yager spoke about Howard's alleged motive for committing the crime during his closing statement at trial, saying: "This defendant had had enough of his mother. He'd had enough of her sleeping around. He'd had enough of her not giving him money.' His mother's dating was making Howard 'angrier and angrier and angrier, until he got drunk enough that he couldn't take it anymore," Yager told jurors. That is when Howard "wrapped that cord around her neck and he pulled, until she stopped breathing," Yager said. At the time of his mother's murder, Howard lived in the basement of her home in Troy, a city located close to the state's Missouri border and approximately 25 miles northeast of St. Louis. Police responded to the home at 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2023 after Howard called 911 and said that he was nervous because his mother was unresponsive, according to the release from the MCSA. The release said that officers arrived on the scene to find Caraker's lifeless body in her bed with a bungee cord fastened around her investigation into Caraker's death determined that she was likely murdered in her bedroom shortly after returning from a date, said a news release from the Troy Police Department. Howard was convicted of murder following a trial that lasted two weeks earlier this year, with jurors deliberating for three hours before returning with their verdict. Yager asked the judge to send Howard to prison for 45 years at his sentencing hearing, saying that the convicted murderer had previously been arrested for incidents involving other family members and at least one order of protection, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE. "It is clear that the defendant is a violent individual, and he's especially violent toward women," Yager said in court. In the end, Circuit Judge Amy Maher sentenced Howard to 30 years in prison. She also said in her order that Howard cannot be released until he serves that sentence in full, eliminating any possibility of early release. If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Hsg societies can soon avail loans for self-redevelopment at concessional rates: CM
Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said that cooperative housing societies in the state could soon avail loans at concessional rates to redevelop their properties themselves. 'We have requested union cooperation minister Amit Shah to see if the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) can provide loans to cooperative housing societies at concessional rates,' Fadnavis said while addressing a seminar on challenges before the cooperative sector at the YB Chavan Centre in south Mumbai. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar attended the event. Though the NCDC's jurisdiction was limited to rural areas, the union home minister had agreed to expand it to urban areas, and a decision on the state's government plea for loans at concessional rates was expected soon, the chief minister said. 'The decision will bring several benefits including loans at concessional rates. It will help housing societies go for self-redevelopment,' he stated. Fadnavis accused earlier governments of ignoring the needs of cooperative housing societies and said his government had not only introduced a self-redevelopment scheme but also provided seventeen types of concessions. 'We are trying to free housing societies from the claws of builders who have been delaying redevelopment projects and denying monthly rentals (to affected apartment owners),' he said. Fadnavis also said that the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act (MCSA) had become irrelevant as it did not have provisions to cater to future needs and its provisions were the same for different types of cooperative bodies such as banks, sugar mills, spinning mills and housing societies. 'The act is good, but it has become old and new provisions need to be incorporated to deal with new challenges,' he said, announcing the formation of a committee to study the law in detail and suggest changes. The chief minister also announced the formation of another committee to suggest measures to strengthen existing cooperative bodies. The state government will also be able to undertake financial transactions with cooperative banks, he announced. Sharad Pawar, who addressed the gathering before Fadnavis, expressed concern over the weakening of cooperative bodies in the state and the urgent need to strengthen them. 'There was a time when cooperatives accounted for 80% of the sugar mills in Maharashtra and only 20% were privately owned. Now, the number of private sugar mills has reached 50%,' the veteran leader said. Most of the cooperative banks in Maharashtra were also in poor financial health, he noted. 'As far as cooperative spinning mills are concerned, only 2-3 are functional while the remaining have downed their shutters. We need to understand the problem and provide solutions. Else, the cooperation sector in the state will become history,' the former chief minister warned. He further said that while cooperative bodies were present in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Gujarat had left the other states behind. 'Gujarat has gone ahead of Maharashtra. They are more powerful than us,' Pawar said.
eNCA
30-04-2025
- eNCA
What to do when a child goes missing: MCSA urges immediate action
JOHANNESBURG - As the search for Mojalefa Savhuli continues in Roodepoort, Missing Children South Africa (MCSA) is urging the public to act quickly and responsibly when a child goes missing. "We are assisting the police in following up on any leads that come in and doing everything possible to make sure Mojalefa is found safely and reunited with his family," said Bianca van Aswegen from MCSA. 'We urge the media and public to share Mojalefa's flyer to help bring him home,' the spokesperson adds. Van Aswegen said there is absolutely no waiting period to report a child missing She said the first 24 to 48 hours are critical to a successful recovery. "The quicker a case gets reported, the quicker action can be taken," Van Aswegen said. Parents or caregivers should immediately open a missing persons case at their nearest police station and contact MCSA for support. What you'll need: Key information for the police When opening a case, a SAPS 55 form is completed. The most important information to provide includes: • Full name and age of the child • Date and place last seen • Circumstances around the disappearance • Last known clothing • Medical conditions • Places the child may frequent • A recent, clear photograph This information also helps MCSA create a flyer that is quickly distributed online and to key partners. What happens in the first 48 hours? Once reported, police begin searching the child's last known location and follow any leads. MCSA then publishes a digital flyer with verified information and contact details, helping raise awareness quickly through social media and media partners. In many cases, special SAPS units are also brought in depending on the circumstances. One of the biggest challenges in cases involving young children is their natural curiosity. "The main challenge with young children is that they are left by themselves to play without adult supervision, and then we sit with a young child who has gone missing,' Van Aswegen said. "Young children are also very vulnerable, and trust easily and therefore can easily fall victim to different types of crimes against children." How communities can help MCSA encourages community involvement, but with caution. "It is of utmost importance that when neighbourhood groups or communities would like to assist with searches, they do so under the authority of SAPS," she said. "It is wonderful that people get together to assist, but it is important that they do so with instruction and guidance from SAPS, especially if there might be a crime involved." Protecting children: What parents can do To help protect children from going missing: • Never leave them unsupervised , even briefly. • Download and complete an Interim ID Kit from which contains all vital information in case of emergency. • Educate children about their full name, address, and how to ask for help. • Monitor your child's use of social media, as many perpetrators groom children online.
