A 30-year-old man from the Northern Cape was convicted and sentenced in the Galeshewe Regional Court for abusing his stepson.
The child is two-years-old.
Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Molefi Shemane said the SA Police Service (SAPS) management welcomed the court’s decision.
Shemane said on May 22, 2022, local police received a complaint about child abuse.
“Galeshewe SAPS received a complaint about a stepfather who abused his two-year-old toddler by hitting and whipping him with an electric cord all over the victim's body for a certain period of time,” Shemane said.
“The victim was taken to the doctor and the medical examination confirmed the serious injuries the victim had sustained. The accused was subsequently arrested.”
The court sentenced the stepfather to 10 years imprisonment.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola lauded the investigating officer from the Galeshewe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, Sergeant Oageng Moilwa for his thorough investigation in this matter.
Otola also applauded the sentencing and reminded those wanting to commit acts of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) that they would be held accountable.
In a separate incident, police in the Eastern Cape opened a case of child abandonment after a newborn baby was found at the entrance of Mount Road police station in the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 13.
The police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu said officers discovered the baby at 2am.
The police officer was walking towards the vehicle when she heard the sounds of a baby crying.
IOL