A couple of Makhewu was arrested after they were found to have locked their 15-month-old niece in a bathroom for several hours.
Hlengiwe Maziya (31) and Senzo Sithole (47) appeared before Magistrate Zwelithini Magagula while facing a charge of contravening the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act.
The accused are alleged to have acted jointly and in furtherance of a common purpose by unlawfully neglecting the child by keeping her in a closed bathroom, isolating her from other children. The accused are said to have left the child alone while they went to do their errands away from the homestead.
During their appearance before the court, the Crown filed an application to have the matter postponed to a later date. Prosecutor Zanele Mabila submitted that the Crown intended to lead witnesses to prove commission of the offence. Meanwhile, the accused asked to be released on bail.
Maziya told the court that the child was her brother’s. She said her brother asked her to take care of the child after he separated with her mother.
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She stated that she and Sithole have been staying with the child for two months. She said she only kept the child for a couple of hours in the bathroom as she needed to go somewhere while there was nobody left at home to look after her.
Maziya said she kept the child in the bathroom so that she could not be seen by someone who might get into the house while she was away.
Sithole also made a similar submission, saying they have been taking good care of the child since she was left by her father. He said they had also reported the issue of the child to the police after her father disappeared without a trace.
Sithole said keeping the child in the bathroom was not an act of abuse, but desperation as they needed to go somewhere for piece jobs as they are both unemployed.
The accused were eventually granted bail at E500 each.
The court warned the accused against committing a similar offence while out on bail. The magistrate stated that neglecting a child was a serious offence.
