The Portfolio Committee on Police has slammed the killing of a four-year-old Johannesburg boy by merciless and cruel criminals. The Committee calls on the police to deploy all its resources in order to arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible.

“The death of this child and many others cannot be in vain. The perpetrators of this horrendous crime must be arrested as a matter of urgency. As the Committee, we want the SAPS to teach these criminals a lesson by apprehending them as soon as possible,” said Mr Francois Beukman, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police.

The boy was with his mother and eight-year-old sister outside his grandmother’s house when they were approached by three armed men on Saturday evening in Riger Park. While his mother was trying to free him from his seatbelt, the hijackers drove away, leaving the boy hanging outside the moving car. The boy was later found dead next to the car, which the criminals had abandoned.

Such incidents, according to Mr Beukman, undermined the gains made by government in dealing with serious crimes. The Chairperson was referring to the progress made over the last five years which had seen reduced levels of serious crimes such as murders, aggravated robberies, crime against vulnerable groups especially women, children and people with disabilities.

The Committee sends its condolences to the family of the little boy. “As Parliamentarians, we will do everything in our power to ensure police arrest these criminals,” said Mr Beukman.