Cape Town - Jeremiah Ruiters’s biological father's family has taken custody of the siblings of the 18-month-old baby who was killed in Fractreton a few weeks ago.
The family said the Department of Social Services had given them custody of the two children aged 9 and 4 shortly after their mom Abigail Ruiters and her boyfriend Ameerudien Peters were arrested in connection with the case.
Jeremiah was murdered and his mother recently charged with murder and the neglect of the child. Her boyfriend, in whose care she left the three children, was also arrested for murder. State prosecutor Adrian Jansen said in court last week that a case of rape had also been added to the charge sheet.
Jeremiah was buried in Maitland Cemetery at the weekend. His mother was denied release by the court to attend the child's funeral.
The funeral service was held in the New Apostolic Church in Kensington.
At the funeral, Bishop Bernie Lutuli, the head of the New Apostolic’s Kensington bishop area, said: “A tragedy like this causes us to examine ourselves because children should be protected.
"This should not happen. It also time for us to return to the Lord and inculcate that culture of ubuntu, where your child is my child. It takes a village to raise a child and we have drifted away from these values. These types of deaths of children did not occur in the past."
Pastor Ronald Ruiters, the grandfather of Jeremiah, said that it was the 20th child killed in the Western Cape.
Wilma Williams, the sister of Jeremiah's biological father, said her family have taken custody of the child.
“The Department of Social Services has given us custody of the two children. It was said that the place where their mom was staying is not fit.
“A woman in the road where they have been staying asked to take care of the children, but it was denied.”