A 14-year-old boy accused of strangling his mother to death appeared in the Westonaria Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
According to various media reports this comes after the boy’s mother – said to be an alcoholic – allegedly tried hitting him with a brick and then poured boiling water over him. The incident occurred on Friday (15 August) at the Waterworks informal settlements on the outskirts of Westonaria.
The Star reports that shortly after having strangled his mother, the boy rushed to his aunt’s house where he confessed to the murder.
In an interview with the paper the aunt said the boy was being abused by his mother.
The aunt who cannot be named to protect the identity of the boy told The Star, “I was shocked when the boy broke the news of his mother’s death. I was really shocked. He explained that his mother beat him with a stick all over his body after he had told her he hadn’t seen her hat. He tried to escape but the door was locked and this got my sister angry. She poured hot water from a kettle on him and tried hitting him with a brick.”
According to the newspaper the boy then pushed his mother to the ground and allegedly strangled her. The boy’s family has said that they would support him throughout the case.
The teen is said to be a smart boy who had won a bursary and was meant to further his studies in Mpumalanga next year eventually to become a mechanical engineer.
Boy, 14, strangles mother to death
"Boy was being abused by his mother" — aunt
