The North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, welcomes the 15 years imprisonment handed down to the 38-year-old mother and 46-year-old father by the North West High Court sitting in Klerksdorp on Wednesday, 21 February 2024. The duo was sentenced for two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH), assault, child negligence, and culpable homicide. The two accused sentencing emanated from their arrest on May 2021 and October 2021 for the abuse of their five children at Alabama near Klerksdorp.
The court heard that the mother was assaulting and abusing her children, who were between the ages of three weeks and 13 years, hitting them, throwing them against the wall, and depriving them of food. On Friday, 14 May 2021, the father phoned the police to report the case of assault. Subsequently, police responded immediately, and the mother was arrested, but was released on warning after it was discovered that she was breastfeeding the three weeks old baby. In September 2021, two counts of assault GBH were reported against the mother after she badly assaulted her two girls who were eight and 13 years at the time. She was then arrested again. The police also found out the three – week – old baby died of hunger, and a culpable homicide docket was registered. The father was arrested in October 2021, after it was discovered that he was also abusing the two young boys aged two and five years. He was also charged with culpable homicide.
The convicts were sentenced as follows:
Accused no 1. (Mother)
Count 1: Assault GBH. 8 years imprisonment
Count 2: Assault GBH.8 Years imprisonment
Count 3: Assault. 4 years imprisonment
Count 11: Child neglect. 10 years imprisonment
Count 14: Culpable homicide. 15 years imprisonment
Accused no 2. (Father)
Count 11: Child neglect. 10 years imprisonment
Count 14: Culpable homicide. 15 years imprisonment
The accused will both serve 15 years imprisonment.
In another court case, Klerksdorp Regional Court sentenced a 38-year-old mother to five years imprisonment in connection with the charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH). The accused who had a quarrel about the child’s maintenance with the father of her two-year-old baby boy pulled and squeezed her son’s private part. She took a video while performing the act and forwarded it to the child’s father. The child could be seen screaming and crying in the video. The father took the video to the police and the mother, who is a Lesotho National, was arrested in August 2023, and she has been in custody since her arrest. She was sentenced on Wednesday, 21 February 2024.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena thanked the Investigating Officers from Klerksdorp Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Units for a sterling job that they conducted in making sure that the three suspects were arrested and convicted. The Provincial Commissioner also thanked the prosecutors for the cooperation and said it was shocking that these parents were the ones who were abusing their children instead of protecting them in both cases. He also thanked the father of the two-year-old boy for bringing the video forward and assisting the police in arresting the mother.
