File image for illustration: iStock
A couple from Mokopane will today appear in the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court for the murder of a four-year-old girl and daughter of the female accused.
The little girl was severely injured after she was assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend at Extension 20 in Mokopane on Sunday morning. She later succumbed to her injuries, reports Polokwane Review.
Police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said that according to reports, the victim was assaulted after she climbed on top of the boyfriend to play. It is alleged he became agitated and took a cellphone cable and charger and assaulted the child in the presence of her mother, who did nothing to stop the attack, thereby making herself complicit in the act, said Mojapelo.
After the assault, the couple made the severely injured child go to sleep, and later that morning discovered she had succumbed to her injuries.
The 28-year-old man later handed himself over to the police and preliminary investigation led to the arrest of the 26-year-old mother of the deceased. The duo face a charge of murder, Mojapelo concluded.
Provincial police commissioner, Lt Genl Nneke Jim Ledwaba has condemned the incident and called on parents to protect their children instead of harming them.
“It is the daily vital role of parents to provide security to their children at all instances and not subject them brutal assaults,” said Ledwaba.
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.