A family in Khutsong Extension 5 was hit by a tragedy last weekend. The Carletonville police say the family, consisting of a mother, her 22-year-old son, a three-year-old son and the youngsters’ grand- mother, were at home in the “60s” when the incident happened at around 23:00 on Friday, 24 September. The elder son, who was suffering from some form of mental illness, apparently became so aggressive that he started attacking his mother. She managed to get out of the house and ran to get help, leaving the young child in his grand- mother’s care. While she was out, the 22-year-old started attacking his grand- mother and she was also forced to flee by jumping out of a window. While alone in the house with his little brother, the 22-year-old grabbed a screwdriver and stabbed the toddler in the head. When the women returned home with help, they found that the three-year-old had been attacked. They called an ambulance and the toddler was taken to Carletonville Hospital. His brother was also taken to the hospital to be treated for his mental illness. Although the child was transferred to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, he later died from the injuries he had sustained in the attack. His brother, who was still in Carletonville Hospital, was placed under custody in the hospital. Authorities will soon determine to what extent he could be held accountable for the killing due to his mental state. By the time of the newspaper going to print, the children’s mother was still too distraught to speak to the Herald about the incident.
