A Hanover Park couple will appear in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday on murder charges for the death of a three-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend.
Cops say the couple, both aged 23, lied to doctors at Red Cross Children’s Hospital, saying the child first fell from a bakkie and then off a bed when explaining the extensive head injuries and broken bones over two hospital visits.
Nyanga Cluster commander, Major-General Sizakhele Dyantyi, says the couple spent the Easter weekend behind bars after an intensive investigation into the boy’s death, which led to their arrest on Thursday.
Dyantyi says in June 2018, the toddler was admitted to hospital with severe head injuries.
“The mother informed the doctors that the [then] two-year-old fell off the back of a bakkie and he was returned to his mother’s care after being hospitalised for two months. There was no reason not to believe the mother,” the cop says.
Dyantyi says several months later, the boy was readmitted to the same hospital with head injuries and doctors were told the child had fallen off the bed and hit his head against a cupboard.
“On 22 February, the child died in hospital,” he says.
“According to the post-mortem report, the child died as a result of blunt force trauma to the back and the front of his head. It was ascertained that these injuries, which also included broken bones, could not have been the result of a fall, but instead of abuse.
“The reports also indicated that the child had been shaken vigorously, which caused his brain to hit the insides of his skull.”
He says after the case was re-evaluated by the Child Death Review Committee, which consists of officials from the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP), police and Social Development, a decision was made to have the matter investigated further.
“The case was registered at Athlone Saps and, because of the nature of the case, it was transferred to Nyanga Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in March,” Dyantyi explains.
“[Investigating officer] Capt. Brian Hermanus uncovered the systematic abuse of a three-year-old baby boy. It is believed that the 23-year-old boyfriend was the perpetrator of the abuse and the mother was arrested for being an accomplice.”
Dyantyi warns of more arrests of relatives who witnessed the abuse.
“It has been shocking as the investigation unfolded that there were several family members present and it is impossible that no one saw anything.”
The couple will appear in court on murder charges on Tuesday.
Anyone with information regarding this case need to call Crime Stop 0860 10111.