A 16-year-old girl, previously placed at a secure care facility in Elsies River, ran away with six other residents, sparking concerns about the safety and oversight of children in state care.
The runaways escaped by breaking through the roof and jumping over the fence.
The facility is designated for children either awaiting trial under the Child Justice Act or those placed due to severe behavioural challenges. The incident has drawn criticism from child rights advocate Venetia Orgill, who questions whether vulnerable children are adequately protected—especially during South Africa’s Child Protection Week.
Orgill shared that the teen had been living with her until July last year, at which point she was placed at the facility by a social worker. “She just needed a safe home, and that’s where the social worker placed her—the same social worker who later told me she doesn’t work weekends,” Orgill explained.
Orgill recalled the traumatic event of this past Saturday evening: “My granddaughter said there were a lot of police outside. I opened the door and was asked if the girl was with me. I said no. I let the officers come in and search the house.”
Orgill immediately tried to reach the social worker but was unable to get an answer. “It was understandable—it was late—but I called again at 6:30 the next morning. That’s when she told me it was the first time she had heard the girl was missing.”
She expressed frustration over the lack of support, stating, “I asked if there was another emergency number because I had phoned the landline of the facility thousands of times during the night. She told me there was nothing more she could do because social workers don’t work weekends. She said she would email her colleague but couldn’t call her, and I must just understand that they don’t work weekends.”
“She wasn’t worried about the child’s safety,” Orgill said, “She was worried about her weekend off.”
Despite feeling unsupported, Orgill stayed focused on finding the missing child. “The priority is the young girl,” she said.
By 8am, police returned to her house, while the safe house had not contacted her at all. “By 10:30, the police were back again. Now I’m starting to feel like a criminal. They searched my house again, even checked my freezer,” she recalled.
Feeling desperate, Orgill turned to Missing Persons SA for help. The girl was eventually located in Pelican Park, after being spotted in a taxi. “The driver was so helpful,” Orgill said.
Later, workers from the facility arrived to collect the girl. The manager informed Orgill, that the teen is a star person, but she was the instigator of the escape.
The girl then burst out crying, stating she had informed the facility managers two weeks ago that she was going to run away because of the bullying, and no one helped.
Orgill questioned the lack of communication at the facility and also criticised the placement of the girl, explaining, “She shouldn’t have been in that facility in the first place. She doesn’t have a criminal record, but the social worker placed her there anyway, and why didn’t they listen to her when she complained?.”
She called for better oversight from the Department of Social Development (DSD).
“DSD needs to ensure their social workers undergo more workshops—on themselves. This is supposed to be a calling of compassion. But that compassion is not being felt in our communities. Social workers should be more accessible.”
Esther Lewis, spokesperson for the Western Cape Department of Social Development, said protocols are in place to address complaints and that the incident is under review.
“The Department is still in the process of reviewing the incident to ensure suitable mitigation where required to limit similar incidents,” she said.
Regarding after-hours availability, Lewis clarified that social workers do have standby systems in place, but noted that the social worker involved worked for an NGO and not the department. “We are in constant communication with partner NGOs to address service delivery gaps where they may occur.”
Lewis added that the department has safety protocols in place at secure facilities, thanking the DSD team, SAPS, and the Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety for their swift response.
She acknowledged structural limitations within the social work sector and confirmed that the Western Cape DSD has been advocating for social workers to be classified as essential services to improve service delivery.
The incident comes just a week after the department reaffirmed its commitment to child protection during May, Child Protection Month. Western Cape MEC for Social Development, Jaco Londt said, “Year after year we see the need for child protection services growing. We need to bring back the spirit of Ubuntu to communities, where your child is my child.”
Weekend Argus
