A young mother was arrested on Sunday for child neglect after leaving her baby with a friend and not returning.
On Saturday, a 22-year-old mother of a six-month-old baby left her child with a friend. It is alleged that she was in Steve Biko Street when she decided to go to town and promised to return as soon as she had finished her chores.
The mother failed to return and so on Sunday afternoon, the friend reported the matter to the uncle of the baby.
He soon located the mother at a tavern, where she had been consuming alcohol.
This had allegedly happened before. Fed up with the mother’s behaviour, the baby’s uncle took the woman to Ladysmith police station, where a case of child neglect was registered and the suspect was arrested.
She briefly appeared in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court today (November 15).
The baby is currently being cared for at a local hospital.
KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Bheki Langa warns the community to protect children from careless people.
“We are very sad about incidents like these. We urge the community to continue to report child abuse to the police. We will ensure that suspects are prosecuted and get strong sentences,” he said.
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