Provincial Commissioner shocked over allegations of abuse of a 6-year-old boy by grandmother
NELSPRUIT – The Provincial Commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma is shocked over allegations of abuse levelled against a 40-year-old grandmother. Reports indicate that on 14 February 2020, at around 15:30, a member of the public found a Grade 1 learner lingering alone on the streets wearing school uniform during the time where the boy was supposed to be at home. This concerned citizen quickly identified the school where the boy was learning through the uniform and the young boy was brought to the school where he immediately went inside one of the classrooms so that he could be accommodated for a night.
Fortunately, one of the teachers who were busy locking classrooms on that day was busy checking if everything was in order when surprisingly, found the little boy inside the classroom whilst his fellow pupils were already at their homes by then. The teacher politely talked to the child to find out the reason why the boy was still in class instead of being at home. The boy related the story of being constantly abused and assaulted by his own grandmother. The teacher informed fellow teachers who were still at school and the police were immediately summoned.
Police swiftly responded and went to the school where they found the boy, who was with his teachers and were so shocked to find an innocent child with severe bruises all over the body. A case of assault with an intent to cause Grievous Bodily Harm was opened against the 40-year-old woman.
A further probe by police revealed that the victim was allegedly assaulted with an axe and was even afraid to ever set his foot at home because of the experience endured, hence he opted to rather sleep in the classroom than to be in the hands of his own grandma. The boy, who was shaking as well as crying uncontrollably, complained of pains all over his body, also had visible serious injuries and he was unable to walk properly. According to information at police disposal, the victim was late at school that morning which suggest that he might have struggled to walk to school because of the ordeal that he went through at home.
The child was taken to Mayflower Clinic where they deemed it fit to transfer him to Embhuleni Hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries. Social Workers were notified about the incident as well and after being discharged from the hospital, the victim will be placed at a temporary Place of Safety where he will be under the supervision of the Social Workers.
Whilst the victim was receiving medical attention, police immediately assigned the case docket to Elukwatini Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) who arrested the woman hence her Court appearance today at the Mayflower Periodical Court. The suspect was released on R500-00 bail and her case was postponed to 30 March 2020 for further investigation.
The Provincial Commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, has strongly condemned the physical violence used against the victim by the grandmother. “If women, who are supposed to shield and protect children from harm, are the ones that are at the forefront of child abuse then our society is heading for disaster. People should stop taking out their anger as well as frustration on the vulnerable, innocent and defenceless children. Children should be heard not hurt by those that they so dearly trust and love. I urge the society to stand up against these barbaric acts against children who are the future of our nation. I believe that the law will take its course and the woman will get what she deserves. I call on the public to continue reporting such cases of abuse of children to the authorities, including police, because such cases normally occur at homes where chances of detecting them are slim so we rely much on the public to blow the whistle on these incidents,” said General Zuma.
