By OBAKENG MAJE
14 October 2025- Former local artist, Masego “Meezy” Sebigi (28) has briefly appeared in Taung Magistrate’s Court on Friday facing a child neglect case. This comes after Sebigi allegedly left her daughter (10) in her rented room in Extension 7, near Taung alone on numerous occasions.
It is alleged in August 2025, Sebigi’s daughter approached the state prosecutor at around 8:30pm, who is also residing in the same vicinity and requested her to call the landlord, so that she can give her mother’s contact number. The said prosecutor assisted the child.
It is alleged that in two weeks, the same scenario repeated itself again. It is alleged that Sebigi, who left her child alone at the time, highlighted that she was in Kuruman.
The prosecutor called social workers for intervention and a child neglect case was opened. It is alleged that the social workers found the rented room filthy.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in the North West, Sivenathi Gunya said: “It is true that a woman is facing a child neglect case and will be back at Taung Magistrate’s Court on 6 November 2025.”
According http://www.scielo.org.za child maltreatment rates in South Africa are extremely high. The Non-Government Organisation (NGO) said this fact is attributable to excessive levels of poverty and wide-spread violence.
“The United Nations (UN) and its signatories acknowledge that children are a vulnerable group and provide some guidelines on how children and their rights should be protected by signatories to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“Parents are urged to take all appropriate social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse.”
The website said the Article 19(2) of the Convention makes it clear that measures used to protect children need to be protective and preventive and should encompass the identification, reporting, referral, investigation and treatment of child abuse. It said Article 16 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child [11] echoes the obligations set out in the UN Convention.
“The Charter obligates the African Union (AU) and its signatories to establish special monitoring units and to provide the necessary support for the abused child and his/her caretakers.
“The South African Constitution [12] explicitly addresses the rights of children and affords them specific protection. Section 28(1)(d) holds that every child has the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse and/or degradation,” said Scielo.
The organisation said Children’s Act No. 35 of 2005[3] and its amendment 41 of 2007 (promulgated in 2010)[13] addresses children’s rights in its entirety. It said Section 110 specifically deals with the protection of children and resonates with the UN Convention and the AU Charter on the protection of children’s rights.
The Guardian 