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The Bloemfontein Regional Court has sentenced a 34-year-old mother to 10 years’ direct imprisonment for the assault and neglect of her two minor children.
The verdict follows a guilty plea to multiple counts of assault and child neglect from 2024.
Mother assaults children twice
The Free State court heard that in September 2024, the mother became enraged after discovering that her nine-year-old daughter had wet her bed while sleeping.
She then instructed the child to take a bath.
While the child was bathing, the mother forcibly pushed her head under the water on several occasions and assaulted her with a belt.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the woman’s conduct exposed the child to serious physical harm and posed a significant risk to her life.
During the same month, the accused also assaulted her six-year-old daughter following a report from the school that the child had arrived late and was seen speaking to a stranger.
“In response, the accused became angry and assaulted the child by repeatedly slapping her with open hands,” Senokoatsane said.
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Guilty plea and sentencing
He said in addition to the assaults, the mother pleaded guilty to child neglect, having failed to provide adequate food for her minor children.
Her actions, Senokoatsane said, contravened section 305(4) of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005.
The section criminalises the failure to provide necessities for children.
The court sentenced her to 10 years behind bars for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, three years for assault and three more for child neglect.
It further ordered that the three-year sentences run concurrently with the longer term, effectively sentencing her to 10 years.
NPA welcomes sentence
“The NPA welcomes the sentence and reiterates its unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of society, particularly children,” Senokoatsane said.
“The NPA remains resolute in its fight against gender-based violence, child abuse and neglect, and will continue to ensure that perpetrators of crimes against children and other vulnerable persons are held fully accountable.
“Crimes against children strike at the heart of their constitutional rights to dignity, safety and life,” he added.
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