Latest news with #Hattingh
The Citizen
12 hours ago
- The Citizen
Empower your children with safety precautions
Kidnapping remains a persistent and evolving threat in South Africa, and also right here on home soil in the Vaal. It affects individuals across socio-economic backgrounds. According to SAPS statistics, thousands of kidnappings are reported annually, many involving minors or youth lured through deception. Common scenarios include express kidnappings, opportunistic abductions, custody disputes, or digital grooming via social media. Syndicates target victims for ransom, extortion, human trafficking, or in connection with criminal or political disputes. While adults remain high-risk targets, children and young adults are increasingly vulnerable due to gaps in awareness and digital exposure. 'Personal safety awareness should be non-negotiable—and it starts at home,' says Charnel Hattingh, head of marketing and communications at Fidelity Services Group. 'Equipping children and teenagers with practical safety tools and the confidence to act decisively can reduce the likelihood of abduction or exploitation.' Prevention starts with education. Simple daily habits and situational awareness can significantly reduce risk exposure. Hattingh outlines the following proactive measures for children and teens: For young children Walk in groups: Always walk to and from school with friends. Stick to familiar, populated routes and avoid shortcuts through alleys, open fields, or vacant lots. Avoid distractions: Keep mobile devices and tablets out of sight to avoid attracting attention. Secure school pickups: Children should wait inside the school grounds for their lift and never leave with anyone who hasn't been preapproved. Stranger danger rules: Reinforce that children should never accept rides from strangers—even if the stranger claims there's an emergency involving a parent. Use a family password: Establish a security word only known to you and your child. If someone can't repeat it, the child must seek help immediately. Responding to threats: If someone tries to grab them, teach them to scream, kick, and resist loudly to draw attention and attempt to escape. Observation skills: If they witness something suspicious, train them to notice the suspect's appearance, vehicle, and any details that could assist authorities later. Emergency awareness: Children should memorise their full name, home address, and key contact numbers. Practice dialing 10111 using a toy phone. For older children, consider preloading emergency numbers or installing a safety app like Namola or Life360. For teenagers and students Stay alert: Avoid wearing headphones or texting while walking—awareness is your first line of defense. Switch up routines: Alter daily travel routes and avoid walking alone in isolated areas. Transport safety: Only use vetted taxi or ride-share services. Never enter unmarked or suspicious vehicles. Social media caution: Never meet online acquaintances alone. Arrange group meetings in public spaces with friends present. Job and modelling scams: Beware of predators offering false opportunities—always verify through trusted sources. Managing social media safety 'Predators also exploit these platforms to groom or track potential victims,' warns Hattingh. Parental guidance for digital safety: Limit oversharing: Avoid posting children's personal details, locations, or daily routines online. Educate on fake profiles: Teach children how criminals use false identities to build trust online before attempting to lure them. Check-ins, not spying: Have regular, open conversations about their social media usage. Where necessary, review their apps and messages to ensure safety boundaries are respected. Hattingh urges all parents to maintain open communication, establish trust-based safety protocols, and continuously adapt to new threats posed by technology and social engineering tactics. * If your child ever goes missing or you witness suspicious activity, report it immediately to SAPS at 10111 or contact a child protection organisation like Missing Children SA. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
15-06-2025
- The Citizen
Youth Month highlights need to protect youth from crime
Safety must remain top of mind for everyone, especially teenagers and young adults, who are particularly vulnerable to crime. SA continues to face alarmingly high levels of crime and violence, and too often, young people are the ones targeted. Therefore, Youth Month should serve as a rallying call for parents and caregivers to renew their commitment to youth safety. 'As adults, we have the responsibility to teach young people how to stay safe and secure,' says Charnel Hattingh, the group head of communications and marketing at the Fidelity Services Group. 'If we can instil in them the ability to avoid risks and look after themselves, we can have a real, positive impact. A good place to start is by equipping young South Africans with the tools they need to be safe.' Hattingh says much can be done to improve safety near schools and shares practical advice for Youth Month. 'Areas around schools are often prime spots for opportunistic criminals. Children walking with cellphones visible are particularly at risk, and there are still cases where learners are either threatened with a weapon or tricked into handing over their phones to a 'stranger in need'.' Other crimes common near schools include hijackings of parents waiting to pick up their children, armed robberies and vehicle theft. 'Criminals count on parents being distracted during school drop-off and pick-up times. Many are absorbed in their routines, not paying attention to their surroundings. This is the danger of daily monotony,' Hattingh says. She offers these safety tips for parents and learners: • Children should never leave school premises with anyone they don't know; • Those waiting to be fetched should remain inside the school grounds; • Children who walk home should do so in groups and stick to familiar routes. Hattingh stresses the importance of preparing children for when things go wrong. 'It's essential that children of all ages know how to respond to danger. Do your kids know how to contact the SAPS or find help in a busy public space if you're separated? Have you practised what they should do in those situations? There are good, honest adults willing to help; children need to know how to find them.' 'We have a responsibility to create a safer world for future generations. That starts with empowering children today,' she says. Lastly, Hattingh encourages parents to maintain open communication with teenagers so they feel confident to speak up and report abuse. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
11-06-2025
- Daily Maverick
DA calls for immediate release of Navy report into 2023 Kommetjie submarine disaster
The DA's Chris Hattingh has called for the immediate declassification and public release of the SA Navy's investigation into the disaster in 2023 that claimed the lives of three submariners. Chris Hattingh, the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) defence spokesperson, has called on the SA National Defence Force and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga to immediately release an internal report into the disaster near Kommetjie in the Western Cape in which three submariners died. One of them was Lieutenant Commander Gillian Malouw-Hector (33), who grew up in Schauderville, Nelson Mandela Bay, and trained with the Sea Cadets in Humewood. She was the commanding officer of the SAS 'Manthatisi, which was conducting a naval exercise near Kommetjie in September 2023 when large waves swept the crew overboard. Five were saved, but three — Malouw-Hector, Master Warrant Officer William Mathipa (48) and Warrant Officer Class 1 Mmokwapa Mojela (43) — died. The submariners were conducting a vertical transfer using an SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter when they were swept overboard. On Tuesday, Hattingh said he did not understand the reasons for keeping the report, which was finalised in 2023, secret. 'The purpose of sailing the ship was to go to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for a Heritage Day open day,' he said. 'It was not a military operation. They only conducted a training exercise en route.' The findings of a board of inquiry into the incident were made public. The inquiry concluded that the submariners died in an accident caused by freak waves and that they had followed all protocols. It also found that they had performed a similar exercise in worse weather conditions. Malouw-Hector was the first female submarine navigator in Africa. At the time, the Navy said her death 'is a huge loss for the South African Navy, the entire Department of Defence and the country as a whole. [She] was the first female to qualify in her position in the submarine, [and] she was also on the verge of becoming the first female commanding officer… It took years of training for her to get here.' But now her family, friends and community might never know what happened on that fateful day. Censored Hattingh said the Navy's report had been 'censored by Defence Intelligence' and was being 'withheld from the victims' families, their legal representatives, and even the Hawks. 'This obstruction of justice by the Navy and the Department of Defence must end,' he said. 'Despite clear weather warnings, the exercise proceeded, ignoring critical safety protocols. Evidence now shows that serious failures in planning and operational oversight directly contributed to the fatal outcome.' The Navy has not responded yet to Daily Maverick's request for comment, but its written response to Hattingh indicates that a myriad of further 'processes must be followed' to get the report released, and its release can be refused at any stage. The Navy told Hattingh, 'The Department of Defence would like to inform you that the requested records have been scrutinised/declassified and masked by the Defence Intelligence Division. However, the following Departmental process has to be followed before the requested records can be released or refused. 'The records have been referred to the Defence Legal Services Division (DLSD) for a legal recommendation. Thereafter, the records will be referred to the Chief of the South African National Defence Force for a recommendation with regards to the release or refusal of the requested records. 'Then the records will be submitted to the office of the Secretary for Defence for a final decision to release or refuse.' Hattingh said all his attempts to obtain the full report had been met with 'bureaucratic resistance and legal evasion. Even a direct appeal to Minister Angie Motshekga has failed to secure its release.' He has called on Parliament to establish an inquiry into the SANDF's 'ongoing practice of withholding vital information and failing to safeguard its own personnel'. DM
The Citizen
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
SIU to investigate Defence department's surgical mask tender from 2021
The SIU will look for any irregularities relating to a tender for surgical mask elastic hoops. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been given the green light to investigate a 2021 procurement contract signed by the Department of Defence (DoD). Authorisation for the investigation was approved on Friday, granting the SIU the mandate to look into any maladministration or irregularities that may have occurred between 1 March 2021 and 23 May 2025. Should the SIU identify any actions of concern, it will pursue civil litigation or refer matters to the National Prosecuting Authority for consideration of criminal charges. Surgical mask tender The tender in question relates to the supply and delivery of surgical mask elastic hoops procured at an undisclosed amount 'The probe will also look at any irregular, unlawful, or improper conduct by officials or employees of the department, its suppliers or service providers, or any other person or entity implicated,' stated SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago. Democratic Alliance spokesperson on military and defence, Chris Hattingh, called for implicated officials to be suspended immediately, noting the Auditor-General's previous findings against the DoD. 'What's worse is the department's ongoing failure to act. Despite multiple oversight reports from Parliament, there's been zero meaningful effort from within to clean house,' said Hattingh. Investigation a 'turning point' This is not the first SIU investigation in the DoD, as serious alleged procurement irregularities relating to a R33.4 Cuban medicine deal were revealed earlier this year. The SIU stated in January that the DoD had signed a procurement agreement only after 930 units of antiviral drugs had been delivered from Cuba during the Covid-19 global health crisis. The antivirals were later found to be non-compliant with South African Health and Product Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) standards, and only 15 were ever used, five of which were for testing. 'South Africans deserve an armed forces institution they can believe in, not one broken by corruption and weak leadership,' stated Hattingh. 'This investigation must be a turning point. It's time to rebuild trust, restore integrity, and bring real accountability to the DoD,' he concluded. NOW READ: SIU is not done with NLC yet, as more corruption allegations emerge
The Citizen
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Concerns raised about ‘disorganised' withdrawal of SA troops from DRC
It has been reported that SA troops started making their way out of the DRC earlier this week. The DA has expressed concern about the withdrawal of SANDF troops from the DRC. Picture: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach The withdrawal of South African troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been marred by some controversy, with the DA complaining about an alleged lack of planning. Reports suggest that soldiers from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania have started moving by road to Tanzania. The soldiers are part of the SADC mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC). The DA has been calling for the troops to return home from the DRC since the death of 14 South African soldiers. ALSO READ: Motshekga gives update on return of SA troops as DRC ceasefire negotiations progress SANDF's 'disorganised' exit from the DRC However, Chris Hattingh, the party's spokesperson on defence and military veterans, has described the current withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as 'disorganised'. 'Poor planning, vague objectives and a disturbing lack of transparency have marred the withdrawal of our troops from eastern DRC. 'What should have been a coordinated and strategic exit has instead become a confused and dangerous process, placing our soldiers at risk and leaving the nation with more questions than answers,' he said. Hattingh said South African troops have had to negotiate with M23 rebels for safe passage out of Goma. 'Alarming accounts suggest that M23 rebels – widely believed to be backed by Rwanda – are inspecting SANDF military equipment as the convoys pass. 'Members of the elite quick reaction force (QRF) have described this experience as both frustrating and humiliating,' he said. The Citizen understands that the soldiers will move in groups, with the final meeting point set to be in Tanzania. Poor communication on troop withdrawal Meanwhile, Hattingh said SA soldiers continue to report logistical failures, poor communication and uncertainty about the status of military vehicles and heavy weaponry. 'There has been no official communication from the Department of Defence, SANDF or SADC. It has instead emerged that safe passage for our troops had to be negotiated with Rwanda after M23 seized control of vital infrastructure,' he said. Hattingh said the DA would ask Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga questions about the mission when she appears before the Portfolio Committee on Defence on 9 May. He called on Motshekga to tell the nation what the terms and scope of the SANDF's deployment were. He also wants to know the cause of the alleged operational failures that led to the current 'disorganised' withdrawal. There are also concerns about safety of remaining personnel and equipment in the DRC. 'Fourteen South African soldiers lost their lives in the battle for Goma. The lack of accountability since then is unacceptable,' Hattingh said. The Citizen contacted the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans for comment on the matter, which will be added once received. ALSO READ: The wait for SA troops to return home from the DRC continues
