Northern Cape mother sentenced for torturing child with cigarettes

A 21-year-old mother from Keimoes has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, after the Keimoes Magistrates’ Court found her guilty of child neglect and physical assault, including allegations that she burned her five-year-old son with cigarettes and subjected him to ongoing abuse.

The abuse came to light in July 2023 when social workers received a report, but it was only in November 2024 that the child's grandmother reported her concerns to the police, prompting a thorough investigation.

Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in the Northern Cape, welcomed the conviction and sentencing, emphasising the police service's zero tolerance towards child abuse. The investigating officer, Detective Constable CC Beukes, was commended for her compassion and diligence in securing the conviction.

In addition to the suspended sentence, the court declared the mother unfit to possess a firearm and unfit to work with children.

The SAPS reiterated its commitment to protecting children from abuse, particularly within family structures.