Kagiso Police arrested a 30-year-old woman in Rietvallei on charges of child neglect during the festive season.

The woman reportedly left her two children aged two and nine alone in a locked room for an extended period.

“A Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit official attended to a complaint that a nine-year-old had been raped in Rietvallei at about 6am on Tuesday, 15 December 2020. Upon arrival at the victim’s home, he was informed that the mother of the rape victim had locked her two children in the room the previous night and left. She never returned,” Captain Solomon Sibiya, the Kagiso Police spokesperson said.

Police reportedly opened a case of child neglect against the woman shortly thereafter. She was arrested and appeared in the Kagiso Magistrates’ Court on 17 December. The outcome of the case is not yet known to the News.

“Child neglect is common in areas like Rietvallei and Tshepisong,” said Brigadier Themba Maduna, the Kagiso Police station commander.

We are going to be harsh on those mothers who choose to lock up their children and go for booze all night long. It is a serious crime that puts the lives of children in extreme danger.”