Just days before little Jeremiah Ruiters is to be laid to rest, his family say they cannot afford to give him a decent funeral.
Jeremiah will be buried on Saturday and the service will take place at the New Apostolic Church in Spitfire Street, Factreton, and thereafter they will proceed to Maitland Cemetery.
But his oupa, pastor Ronald Ruiters, says they do not have money for catering, or for buses to transport mourners.
Jeremiah’s mother Abigail Ruiters, 30, and her boyfriend, Ameerudeen Peters, 26, have been charged with killing him.
Peters also faces a charge of rape.
The one-year-old boy died on 12 June after he was beaten, raped and stabbed.
Peters then took the child to the Kensington Clinic where he was declared dead on arrival.
Ruiters had left her son in the care of Peters while she went to work.
The mother, who is six months pregnant with her fourth child, broke down in the Cape Town Magistrates' Court on Wednesday when she heard Peters was being charged with raping her baby son.
“What did you do to my son?” she shouted at Peters.
The couple have been together for a year. Ruiters also faces a charge of child neglect.
Peters tried to commit suicide by slashing his wrists in a police holding cell minutes after he was arrested on 12 June.
Pastor Ruiters says Jeremiah’s funeral is being arranged by family and Atlantic Funeral Services.
“The battle at the moment is transport for the community,” he explains.
“We have no buses for the people at this stage. We also require catering for the mourners.
“We have a limo for the family which is being offered by Royal Limousine and we say thank you to everyone.”
If you can assist please contact Cheslyn Steenberg of the Kensington Community Policing Forum on 083 543 1344 or Pastor Ruiters on 078 7607 164.
The viewing starts at 7.30am at the family’s home in Salamander Square, Kensington.