Community outrage grows over systemic failures in South Africa’s justice system following child murders
Zubair Jacobs, 7, was shot in Kameel and Gazelle streets, Eastridge, on November 7, 2023.
Image: Supplied
Calls are intensifying for urgent reform and stricter scrutiny within South Africa’s criminal justice system following new information linking a man previously accused, to a second child murder.
While advocacy group Action Society has raised concerns about systemic failures in the wake of 13-year-old Firdous Kleinschmidt’s murder, it is community structures that are now amplifying alarm over a broader pattern of violence.
According to information from a trusted source, Lorenzo “Lolly” Brown was identified in 2025 during an identification parade while already in custody. He was allegedly identified as “Lolly” previously and had not yet been arrested for Zubair’s murder in 2023.
Zubair was murdered on 7 November 2023 while standing with a group of boys outside his home in Kameel Street, Eastridge. A 20-year-old man was also fatally wounded in the same incident.
Firdous Kleinschmidt, a 13-year-old Grade 7 pupil was killed on 30 January 2024 after being struck by a stray bullet at school in Beacon Valley.
Image: Facebook
However when attending an ID parade in 2025 for Firdous’ murder, Brown was positively identified as the driver present on the day seven-year-old Zubair Jacobs was shot and killed, linking him to the murder of the child.
Firdous was killed on 30 January 2024 after being struck by a stray bullet while waiting for her school transport in Beacon Valley.
The alleged link to a second child killing has heigtened concerns about how an individual facing multiple serious charges was able to remain active over time.
Speaking on broader systemic failures, Action Society’s Kaylynn Palm questioned how repeat offenders are managed.
“This is the question every South African should be asking: how does someone facing multiple serious charges, including murder, remain free to continue offending?” Palm said.
Community leader Linda Jones said the latest developments reinforce long-standing concerns about gaps in the justice system.
“He is clearly a menace. He clearly has an affiliation to gangs even though he is denying it. We just want the courts to check on their profiles more vigorously ,” Jones said.
She acknowledged the pressure on investigators but stressed that outcomes ultimately depend on how cases are pursued.
“Detectives have a huge caseload on their hands, however this case shows that when a detective is determined to puzzle things together, he or she will figure it out,” she said.
Jones further warned that delays in investigations and weak case progression are having deadly consequences.
“Delays in investigations cause more innocent people to be killed. You find the defence always uses that they are in remand detention too long. Then the State’s hands are tied and they have no other choice but to provisionally withdraw and this usually leads to someone walking outside with no conditions.”
She stressed that serious crimes should not be provisionally withdrawn and pointed to ongoing challenges within forensic laboratories as part of the broader problem.
With the emergence of a second child murder link, pressure is mounting on authorities to intensify coordination between cases, prioritise repeat violent offenders, and ensure that critical information is not handled in isolation.
Action Society has called for stronger intelligence-led policing, improved integration of case information across jurisdictions, and greater accountability where failures allow further harm.
Brown will appear in the Mitchells Plain magistrates Court on 6 May 2026.