Mothers of children who have been raped, murdered or kidnapped have been honoured during an emotional ceremony.
Among the mothers who attended were Juanita Pieters, whose three-year-old daughter Courtney was raped and killed in 2017 at their Elsies River home.
The ceremony was hosted by the City of Cape Town’s Women for Change programme at the Delft Civic Centre in Voorbrug last Thursday.
Police and The Pink Ladies organisation addressed about 30 mothers, and a candle-lighting ceremony was also held for the deceased.
Ward councillor Courtney van Wyk says the event aimed to support women who had lost children to violence.
‘I WANT ANSWERS’: Janap Daniels. Photo: Jack Lestrade
“This is a support and forgiveness session. We are starting this because there is a lot of grief out there, and we need to take care of that part.”
Delft Police Station spokesman, John Bartlett, had stern words for mothers, urging them to always be aware of where and with whom their children are.
CARING: Warrant Officer John Bartlett, of Delft cop shop, and Dessie Rechner of Pink Ladies. Photo: Jack Lestrade
“If your children must be alone at home, speak to your neighbours so they can keep an eye,” he says.
“I want to challenge you, look after your children, because what we find is five-year-olds walking alone in the street.
“You send that five-year-old to the shop om ’n entjie te gaan koop, and your 10-year-old to buy you a beer, that is not allowed.”
Juanita was one of the moms who lit a candle for her daughter.
She told the court she’d gone to work and had left Courtney in the care of her six-year-old brother as she could not afford a babysitter.
KILLED: Courtney Pieters was only 3. Photo: Jack Lestrade
Last month, her tenant Mortimer Saunders, 41, was sentenced to two life terms behind bars for the rape and murder of Courtney.
Juanita said last week since Saunders’ conviction, her family can finally move on with their lives: “Dit gaan nou beter met ons, nou dat die saak klaar is.
“I am glad to have been given this opportunity to be here with other mothers.”
But it’s a different matter for Delft community worker, Janap Daniels, whose daughter, Zeenith Daniels, 20, of Leiden went missing in May last year.
CARING: Warrant Officer John Bartlett, of Delft cop shop, and Dessie Rechner of Pink Ladies. Photo: Jack Lestrade
The young woman was stabbed and her body found dumped on a field in Voorbrug.
No arrests have been made, and Zeenith says police and authorities have failed her: “Each time when I go to the police station, I must hear that the docket is at court. But how can the docket be at court when there is no suspect arrested?
“I refuse for this to become another cold case. A lot of promises were made to me to find the killers, but there is nothing.”