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A Free State mother of three has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment for burning her children’s hands with a hot iron as punishment.
According to South African law, corporal punishment in schools is not allowed; however, getting a smack at home is not against the law.
However, this doesn’t mean that parents are allowed to physically punish a child senselessly and get away with it.
The Regional Court in Welkom sentenced a 37-year-old mother of three — an 11-year-old and nine-year-old twins—to four years in prison.
The mother’s sentence stems from an incident on 1 June 2024 when the children were jumping on the bed and a fight broke out between them.
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“The mother called all three of them and ordered them to place their hands on the ironing board and burnt them with an iron,” said Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Sinah Mpakane.
The mother sent the children to bed after burning them.
Mpakane said that the next day, one of the twins was crying and making a noise.
“So, her mother called her and again told her to place her hand on the ironing board, where after she burnt the child with the hot iron again,” she said.
The children were given food and then sent to bed.
On 3 June, the children went to school, and a teacher noticed the burn wounds and asked one of the siblings what happened.
The child told his teacher that all three siblings were burnt by their mother and the reason behind the punishment.
Mpakane said the teacher reported the matter to the police, and the mother was arrested.
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Detective Warrant Officer DR Seale led an investigation and worked together with the state prosecutor to make sure that Magistrate Lefenja found the mother guilty of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).
Her sentence was wholly suspended for a period of five years on condition she was not convicted of a similar offence during the period of suspension and that she had to undergo a Department of Social Development parenting program successfully. The mother was also found unfit to possess a firearm.
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