2 family members in KZN court after tortured child (11) escapes

Gruesome photos of a child’s battered and bruised body sparked public outrage and disgust at the alleged conditions and treatment endured by a primary school girl from Chatsworth, KZN, who has been the subject of unimaginable torture by her biological family.

The injuries in the photos in question are reportedly the result of years of torture, which she was forced to tolerate, allegedly at the hands of her eldest sister, brother-in-law and father.

The child, who cannot be named, had been locked in the toilet of her home, which acted as her room for the night when she took the chance to heroically escape from the clutches of abuse through an open window.

From here, reports indicate that the child sought refuge in the home of a friend. It is alleged that the child had arrived during load-shedding in the night, with the friend and the family not noticing her extensive injuries until the morning.

This was when the stomach-churning photos were taken and the police were contacted. The child’s other sister, who will remain unnamed, spoke to the Rising Sun as she recalled the horrific sight of her sibling when she found her, covered in blood and crying in her arms.

Sibling speaks out

“These people were forcing the child to steal phones and jewellery from the school and neighbours. When she did not want to do it, they hit her. She stole a teacher’s phone and another teacher’s jewellery at two separate schools. The accused are my older sister, my brother-in-law and my father, who is in hiding. It seems as though they are on drugs. On August 10 they locked her in the bathroom for the night to sleep, but she escaped through the window. This comes after they starved her for two weeks,” the sister alleged.

She explained that the house her sister was trapped in is isolated and she believed that she was going to die if she had not escaped.

“On that Thursday night, the child went missing and my sister (the accused) filed a missing person’s report. On the Friday morning, my sister-in-law accompanied me to help look for her. Two police officers came to us and said that they found the child, but no one is allowed to take her. We, however, wanted to see what condition she was in so we went to see her. When I saw her there, I dropped. My heart broke. I just could not leave her like that.

“I took her to the hospital. I saw that one side of her whole head was bust and bleeding. She had a big blue eye on the left. Her feet were swollen and her knees bruised. The police did not do anything, they just left her. They told us that she is possessed, and they cannot go near her. It was only when we took her to the hospital did she then receive help,” claimed the 21-year-old.

Another woman, who is a local hairdresser, explained that her actions were what led to the alleged perpetrators being caught as she believes that police dragged their feet with the case until it was handed over to another detective.

Suspect cornered

“The lady that I work for is my father’s cousin and she lends money and sells groceries to the alleged perpetrators. Last Friday we were sitting at work and the eldest sister (accused) gave my boss a missed call. She called her back and the accused said that she wants to borrow some money and wanted some groceries. I told my boss this is the only way we were going to get her here because she is desperate for the items. She called us back and said that she would come back on Saturday.

“When the accused arrived, my boss locked the front gate. I came in and locked the back gate, so there was nowhere for her to go. She realised what was happening and began causing a scene, threatening to take my cutting scissors and poke herself with it. She said that she would kill herself and the blame would fall on us. I then took her phone away and told her that when the police arrive, I would return it to her. When this woman abused the child, they forced her to make a video to say she is doing this to herself, which is all on her phone,” claimed the 29-year-old.

The hairdresser added that neither of the suspects has a stable income and instead begs at the nearby mosque and relies on the grant they receive for their own four children in addition to that which they receive for the victim.

As the women retold the story, they explained that the child had told them of how the accused tortured her.

Abuse

“She was hit with a hammer. The hole that is in her leg was cut through with a nail. All the other wounds on her body were with the hammer and a vice grip. She told me they hit her with the hammer on her head with the deep holes being visible once her hair was taken off. We were told that if there had been any deeper, then she would have died. They forced her to place her hand down before they hit it with a hammer and broke two of her fingers.

“They were crucifying her with a nail in her foot and told her that they wanted to do to her what was done to Jesus. The marks on her back are stab wounds. Those marks are not recent, they are long-term. The perpetrators also tied her legs with a power cord and were dragging her around the house before hanging her upside down from the rafters. She was also whipped with the sjambok on her chest and back. They used to make the child do things to herself in a naked state as they videoed her. When she refused, they hit her,” said the pair.

Arrests and court

The communications officer of Chatsworth SAPS, Captain Cheryl Pillay, released a statement to the media, which read: “On Saturday, August 19, the Chatsworth FCS Unit arrested two accused, aged 26 and 27. It is alleged that on August 11, an 11-year-old child was admitted at a local hospital with injuries.”

Pillay stated that on August 12, police opened up a case of assault and contravention of the Child Care Act 86 of 1991.

The two accused are family members, who appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where the investigating officer opposed bail.

“When they brought her to the hospital for the child to identify them, the sister (accused) laughed in her face because she saw the child’s hair taken off for her wounds to heal. She’s a very intelligent child. She is quiet and scared. When we found her, she began crying and told me to take her out of there. She wants to come with me and did not want to leave me. If we had left her there, we would have found a body in the river. It’s very sad. I want justice. My baby sister is so strong and so brave,” the sister concluded.

Meanwhile, the director and founder of SA Outreach and Emergency Services, Tootsie Francis, also commented on the matter.

“We will not rest until justice is served. It’s time the community stands together. Remember, it takes a village to raise a child. Today it’s this child, tomorrow, it can be your child.”

The 11-year-old has been recovering in the RK Khan Hospital for over a week now. The accused will reappear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court next week Monday for a formal bail hearing.