A mother has plead guilty to charges of child abuse and neglecting to report charges of sexual abuse against her 7-year-old daughter.

Her name has been withheld to protect the identity of the children.

The woman’s sons were found among dog faeces, and all children were severely malnourished and in need of immediate hospital attention.

A social worker’s report in July detailed the deplorable abuse and neglect a mother inflicted on her three children.

Her nine-month-old son was found with ticks and other insects in his diaper.

An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her father regularly, to the point where she pleaded with police officers not to take her home ever again. The father aggressively denied this allegation.

The little girl has never been to school, and has the mental capacity of a three-year-old. Due to the extent of her abuse, she is unable to control her bladder and bowel movements.

A six-day-old boy was found unconscious with an empty stomach, suffering from jaundice, lying on a mat covered in dog faeces. The baby was taken to Life Midmed Hospital, where he was treated for more than a week.

All children are recovering well in foster care.

During the sentencing, magistrate Deon Minnie said that the mother betrayed her daughter in the worst way possible by not reporting the alleged repeated rape.

Although the mother was not physically involved in the rape, the fact that she was complicit in the act meant she was sentenced to a life behind bars.

She also received three years for neglecting to report rape allegations, and an extra five years for abuse.

The father plead not guilty on all charges, and his hearing will start next year.

This article has been translated from Afrikaans by Nica Schreuder.