The shock killing of an elderly Limpopo woman by her son after a heated argument over loud music, has sadly been one of several cases of parricide making headlines lately.
Over the weekend, another apparent case of a son allegedly murdering his mother, surfaced in KwaZulu-Natal.
These cases of alleged domestic violence towards a parent, sadly plays out against the backdrop of our country observing 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which kicked off on Saturday, 25 November.
Speaking to The Citizen, Danie van Loggerenberg, CEO of the National Centre for Child Protection, revealed that he has “definitely observed an uptake in cases of parricide this year”.
Unfortunately, according to Van Loggerenberg, the cases aren’t always reported as such and are merely indicated as murder cases when crime statistics are released.
Van Loggerenberg unpacked some of the reasons which could possibly serve as the trigger for children to commit this heinous crime. In some chilling cases, he said, a child might even go as far as killing their parent just to “fit in”.
He added that they also record an overwhelming amount of reports of “children hitting, kicking, biting, and threatening their parents”.
Van Loggerenberg said that if a parent does not attend to a child’s needs from birth, it causes the child to develop an insecure attachment style.
“This kind of attachment impacts the child and the way in which they interact and treat others. They often struggle to relate, connect, and understand others. This adds to them struggling to form meaningful relationships with others when combined with a lack of empathy. A murderer often lacks empathy,” he explained.
“Sometimes there are challenges that are created, and children often see these challenges and then copy them. Some of these challenges are risky and dangerous, and without any parental supervision a child sees and then tries it at home and this often ends in tragedy,” Van Loggerenberg continued.
READ ALSO: Son murders elderly mom after argument over loud music
Mixing with the wrong crowd, which could even include gangs, could serve as a huge contributor to reasons for children murdering their parents, according to Van Loggerenberg.
Gang members tend to assign tasks for the child to complete in order to join.
“The child seeking a place to belong will do almost anything to be accepted into such a group. These tasks often include stealing, beating people up, dealing in drugs and sometimes even murdering a loved one to show the group ‘they have what it takes’,” he said.
Former Durban Youth Radio presenter Andy Kerr was arrested at the weekend after his mother was found dead in their home in Hazelmere, Durban.
Neighbours became worried when the elderly woman seemed to have disappeared. After neighbours called authorities, her decomposing body was found on a bed.
Kerr, however, claimed she had died from natural causes.
In another incident this month, a 37-year-old man in Limpopo allegedly murdered his elderly mother after an argument over loud music.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said they have opened a case of murder.
According to Mashaba, the victim was with her 17-year-old grandson when the suspect arrived and played music loudly. The elderly woman tried to reprimand her son, but he became aggressive and allegedly started physically attacking her.
READ ALSO: Ruan van Heerden gets 25 years in jail for killing his mother
In October, a 16-year-old boy in Nomzamo, Strand in Cape Town allegedly murdered his 46-year-old mother by stabbing her in the neck. Drugs are suspected to have triggered the teen’s action.
Also in October, a 21-year-old man was arrested for his father’s murder and mutilating his body. In this case it was reported that the man is mentally-ill.
In Durban, a teenage boy was arrested for hitting his father with a hammer after an argument.
In May, a 21-year-old man in Hillcrest, Durban stabbed his father to death following an altercation.
READ ALSO: Gruesome murder: Man on the run after chopping mother into pieces
The Citizen also spoke to gender-based violence (GBV) activist Reverend June Dolley-Major, who said we live in a very violent society.
“We see at a young age children start fighting. They get it from movies and games where you have to kill in the game. Sometimes it’s anger and they don’t have an outlet. The child usually takes it out on the parent. Sometimes their goals come first and they kill their parents for their goals.
“We as a society are to blame because we have shown children that the only way to resolve things is to fight. They reach boiling point and then they kill.
“As a society, we have to change the way we as adults behaviour. Children look at our actions not what we tell them,” she said.
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