Alleged child abusers cause community uproar
The two Mozambican women accused of severely burning a nine-year-old boy after accusing him of stealing money, made their second court appearance on Tuesday, June 3
The pair were arrested on May 27, and charged with counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH).
The accused were expected to apply for bail, but the matter was, however, postponed to Thursday, June 5, and they were again remanded in custody.A man, said to be a third accomplice in the assault, is still at large.
During the court proceedings, the accused also failed to produce the appropriate immigration documents to prove that they are legally in the country.The reason for the postponement of the trial date is unclear, but according to community members who attended the legal proceeding, the matter was postponed due to interpreter difficulties.“The court postponed the case to allow the State to find an interpreter for the two Mozambican accused, who do not understand South African languages,” says a community member.
According to one of the concerned residents, on May 24, the biological mother of the victim and a friend heated up bricks, after they accused the boy of stealing R300, then forced him to sit on them. They allegedly burned the child’s buttocks, hand and hips with the heated bricks as a punishment.
A resident who appeared upset and was shaking, says she noticed blood on the buttocks of the boy’s trousers and asked him what happened.“He told me that his mother and another woman, as well a man, held his buttocks on heated bricks, after accusing him of stealing money,” says the resident.The concerned community member reported the matter to the police and community leaders.
Due to the burn injuries he sustained, the boy is unable to attend school, and is struggling to walk or sit.He has further been removed from the mother’s care.
A handful of angry women from Comet village, mounted a demonstration outside the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on May 28, and June 3, demanding that the two alleged child abusers be denied bail.
According to a source, a handful of foreign nationals, who reside in Comet, attended the legal proceeding to show solidarity with their fellow countrywomen.
“These foreign nationals accused us of xenophobic attitudes towards the accused, and they have also voiced solidarity with their countrywomen,” says one of the residents who do not want the accused to be granted bail.
“They can accuse us of everything they want to, but such behaviour will never be accepted in our community. Just because what they did is common practice in their country, it does not mean that they are allowed to do it here.”
It is also rumoured that the community plan to force the accused to leave Comet. – @FanieBoksburg
