eMbalenhle cops investigate the murders of two girls – allegedly at the hands of their mothers
Founder of Janelle Huis, a place of safety for children, urges the public to report child abuse and neglect.
Two girls, Thabano Nkosi (3) and Dimpho Maponyana (5) were allegedly killed at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and nurture them.
These little girls died during the past month.
Bathabile Khala (34) was arrested on August 15 for allegedly murdering her daughter, Thabano Nkosi, on Brandrift farm near eMbalenhle.
According to the eMbalenhle police spokesperson, Constable Busi Mthethwa, an inquest docket was initially opened when the child’s body was found on the farm.
A postmortem revealed that Thabano was assaulted and died because of the internal injuries she sustained. The inquest was then changed to that of murder. Khala was arrested.
Mthethwa said allegations that the mother assaulted the toddler with a belt are being investigated. Khala appeared before the Evander Magistrate’s Court on August 17 and was remanded in custody.
A week later, Muriel Keamokgetswe (27) was arrested in eMbalenhle on August 21 for the murder of Dimpho.
Keamokgetswe, who is Dimpho’s stepmother, rushed the five-year-old to the Paulina Morapedi Clinic on August 18, but the child was declared dead on her arrival.
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Mthethwa said Keamokgetswe alleged Dimpho was epileptic and sustained injuries during an epilepsy attack. The police then opened an inquest docket.
However, an autopsy conducted at Ermelo Pathology established that Dimpho died due to multiple blunt-force injuries.
The police also suspect that the child had been raped.
According to Mthethwa, DNA samples have been taken from a relative and sent to the laboratory. The results are not yet available.
Keamokgetswe was arrested and charged with murder. She was remanded in custody and will appear in court again on August 28 for formal bail application. The investigation continues.
Mthethwa also revealed that an eight-year-old boy is fighting for his life in the Evander Hospital. He was admitted to hospital with burn wounds all over his body on August 18.
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According to Mthethwa, a social worker alerted the police about a child with serious burns.
Upon police investigation, it was found that the child was from Mandela Section in eMbalenhle, although it was unclear who took him to the hospital.
Mthethwa said the police are still trying to locate his parents and are investigating what had led to the burns. A case of attempted murder was opened, with the boy’s mother and stepfather as the suspects.
The Men’s Voice organisation in eMbalenhle’s social worker, Nhlanhla Mathe, said the organisation’s members are shocked at the violence towards children.
“Such cases are escalating within communities and the government needs to look deeper into this. As it is Women’s Month, we are expecting women to protect children regardless if she is a parent or not.”
Mathe said men are mainly depicted as the aggressors in cases of GBV and child abuse, but society forgets that women can also be perpetrators.
She claims that bad spirits, witchcraft and an unhealthy relationship between parents can also be contributing factors in the deaths of these children.
She said women should form social groups where they can discuss those issues that cause them stress.
Estelle Coetzer, founder Janelle Huis in Evander, told reporter Kerry Bird more than 300 children stayed at this place of safety since it opened in 2001.
“Most of the girls that come here have been sexually assaulted, be it by their father or family member. Some of the children have been severely abused, not properly cared for or even abandoned.”
According to Coetzer, she found the most common form of abuse is children being beaten with electrical cords, shovels, or anything parents could get their hands on.
She said in other incidents, the children’s hands were burnt on stove plates for being naughty and in one case, a child was even thrown out of a vehicle.
Other cases are just plain straight neglect of a child not being fed properly and suffering from malnourishment or being left at home alone for days at a time.
“People must report cases if they know a child is being neglected, abandoned or abused. You can stay anonymous but you have to report it. If you know but do not report it, you are just as well an accomplice,” said Coetzer.
She said a child is better off in a place of safety or a children’s home or orphanage than in the environment of a home where they are being severely abused and neglected.
