Pretoria - A 21-year-old mother and a 19-year-old accomplice are set to appear in the Dzanani Magistrate's Court in Limpopo on Monday after they were arrested for allegedly making her two-year-old son smoke dagga and also consume alcohol at Rabali village in the Mphephu policing area, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said.
“The suspects were arrested yesterday (on Saturday) soon after the police accessed video clips that went viral on social media showing the woman giving her son dagga to smoke and alcohol to consume. Her accomplice can be heard in the background persuading the little boy to indulge,” Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said.
The mother was arrested at Rabali village and her accomplice at Dzanani under the Siloam policing area.
“The provincial commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has strongly condemned the actions of the two women and has commended the police for their swift response. The child has been removed and handed over to the grandmother for care-giving,” said Mojapelo.
“The suspects will face a charge of contravening the Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (Child Abuse) and if convicted, they will be sent to jail for a period of up to 10 years, or fine or both these sentences.”