Reacting to the recent tragic news of children losing their lives in various circumstances, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday urged South Africans to build a culture of responsibility, as a society, and be more diligent in protecting children from dangers.

Writing his weekly column, Ramaphosa said the broader community had a responsibility for the development, well-being and safety of each child.

Last week South Africans learned about the tragic death of a 13-year-old Parktown Boys learner Enoch Mpianzi on a school camp.

“Sadly, Enoch is not the only child in recent weeks to lose his life for reasons that were entirely preventable, if only adults had exercised due care and responsibility,” he said.

Other incidents involved another 13-year-old, Keamohetswe Shaun Seboko, who recently drowned in the swimming pool of Magaliesburg Primary School, and the two children who died at the Lekgolo Primary School in Limpopo when a truck crashed into a wall that collapsed on them. Ramaphosa said such incidents reminded him about the many children, such as 6-year-old Nathlia Pienaar, who are killed in the crossfire of gang wars on the Cape Flats. Ramaphosa also lamented the tragic deaths of Michael Komape and Lumka Mkethwa, both of whom died after falling into pit latrines.

Advocacy group Section27 helped Komape’s family receive R1.4-million in damages for emotional shock and grief almost six years after his horrific death.

The president said all of those young lives, and the lives of many others, need never have been lost.

“In response to the deaths and injury caused by children falling into pit latrines, we launched the SAFE initiative to accelerate the provision of appropriate toilets to all schools in the country. We deployed the South African National Defence Force to parts of Cape Town to support the police in their efforts to reduce gang violence.

More recently, we have, together with civil society, embarked on an emergency response plan to end violence against women and children. “Too many children find themselves in dangerous situations, whether it is on a makeshift raft on a river or being left alone in a shack with a paraffin lamp. When contractors leave excavations unprotected or school infrastructure is not maintained or school transport is overcrowded, the lives of children are put at risk,” Ramaphosa highlighted.

He said society needed to be more diligent and active in protecting children from sexual predators, criminal gangs and drug sellers.

He went on to say that a culture of responsibility meant that fathers needed to be present in the lives of their children and explained that many women raise children on their own, which often limits their prospects and those of their children.

He said government officials and other public servants are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of citizens.

“They must ensure that there is adequate and safe infrastructure in schools. They must act quickly when there is an interruption to water supply in communities or when faulty streetlights are reported.

They must ensure that health and safety regulations are enforced and that the rule of law is maintained,” Ramaphosa said.

He applauded the work done by individuals and organisations that have taken upon themselves responsibility for the well-being of others.

“There are people like Ralph Bouwers and Mark Nicholson, who organise recreation activities for young people in Lavender Hill in Cape Town to keep them from turning to gangsterism. There are the mothers, sisters and daughters who work as student volunteers with Operation Bobbi Bear, an organisation in Amanzimtoti in KwaZulu-Natal that offers shelter to young children who have been abused,” Ramaphosa pointed out. He said South Africa has witnessed too many tragedies and added that too many young lives have been lost and too many children hurt and traumatised.