A group of women who travelled from across the country to present the case of murdered children say they were insulted and verbally abused by a Member of Parliament during a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Police in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Members of the Women Empowerment Platform, who had journeyed from Johannesburg and Gqeberha, said they were left in tears and felt humiliated when their presentation was dismissed, and one MP told them to “stay in their lane”.
“We were emotionally and verbally abused by a Member of Parliament using his power to disrespect us,” said Natalie Solomons, founder of the Women Empowerment Platform. “We are still sitting in tears.”
The group had planned to present the case of Jayden-Lee Meek, 11, a young boy from Johannesburg who was brutally murdered and found dead outside his mother’s apartment.
They marched to Parliament and joined a virtual meeting of the Police Portfolio Committee, where they hoped to present their memorandum and speak on a broader crisis of child killings, police inaction, and violent crime.
However, Solomons said they were denied the opportunity to present their prepared documents and were instead silenced during the session.
“We came from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Parliament is the highest level of government — we can’t go further than that,” she said. “If we can’t get justice there, where are we going to get it?”
Solomons said she and others felt dismissed and disrespected by a committee member, whose name they intend to disclose once a formal complaint has been laid.
“We were clear about what we wanted. Maybe what is happening to our communities is not happening in yours. You think you are above all of us here. You are undermining us,” she told the committee.
“We didn’t disrespect the chairperson; we were clear about what we wanted. You are oblivious and senseless.”
The group had also planned to hand over a memorandum during their visit to Parliament, but said they were denied the opportunity.
Solomons added: “The only highlight was the people who came out and the journalist who made the effort to hear our story and stand strong with us. Parliament failed us miserably.”
Community activist Flaurentia Matross travelled from Gqeberha to tell the committee about a 19-year-old woman named Ivadene who was shot in the head as she exited a taxi.
“I came because the girl was lying on the road for three hours and the police didn’t come — and that was three minutes from the police station,” said Matross. “If we don’t stand up for our children, who is going to? The girl lost her life. The world is not safe anymore, it’s sad.”
Matross said she was appalled by the lack of response and accountability from local police.
“Every year, there are new police taken in, but where are they? Why are police vehicles not serviced? We are hoping to get our police to do their jobs. Ivadene was lying in her blood for three hours. The scene wasn’t even cordoned off.”
The Portfolio Committee on Police, chaired by DA MP Ian Cameron, had invited stakeholders to a virtual briefing on ongoing issues of policing, crime, and community safety.
However, the meeting took a turn when some MPs expressed discomfort over members of the public attempting to raise specific case details.
Committee member Dianne Kohler Barnard cautioned participants not to interfere with active investigations.
“We are not investigators. If anyone has evidence, they must go to the police. It is unacceptable to come into this committee and raise sensitive cases. We must stay in our lane and do oversight,” she said.
“For them to speak out while in the middle of a sensitive case would be reckless. This could end up in court.”
She added: “I’m cautioning members not to cross the line. I ask that we focus on the job we do, which is to make sure crime is brought down.”
Activists strongly objected to this position. Solomons said: “We need justice for this boy (Jayden-Lee). He was brutally murdered and left on the cold floors outside his mother’s apartment. Nothing came of this — we need justice. Our community is up in arms.
“This is not just about Jayden-Lee. We had someone from the Eastern Cape and also from Cape Town. When is the killing going to stop? Our children are scared to go out. We are scared to let our children out.”
Solomons said they were told that police could not attend the meeting in person due to a lack of funds. “We were told on Monday there was no money for the police to come and that’s why the meeting was virtual,” she said. “We were in the meeting since 8am.”
The activists marched back to Parliament after the meeting, determined to have their voices heard, but no one took their memorandum.
Said Solomons: “We gave Fleurhof community our word that we are going to do what we need to do to make sure we get justice for Jayden-Lee. This is not over.”
