Gun-toting neighbour assaults boy, 9

A shocking video shows a KZN woman tying a 9-year-old boy to a pole, beating him with a sjambok and strangling him.

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Durban – A nine-year-old boy has been moved to a place of safety following a brutal assault by a neighbour in Nquthu, who has since been arrested, the KwaZulu-Natal social development department said on Sunday.

KwaZulu-Natal social development MEC Weziwe Thusi expressed horror at a video showing the brutal assault of the boy by his neighbour. The woman accused the boy of stealing a cellphone and money from her, the department said in a statement.

“In the video, the woman, who also carries a firearm, ties the little boy to a pole with a rope and beats him up with a sjambok, and later a stick. She also strangles him. The woman threatens a neighbour who tries to stop the brutal assault,” the department said.

“I am horrified; I can’t believe that a woman can show such cruelty to a child. The assault is brutal and it was clearly meant to cause serious damage to the child. I honestly hope she is charged with attempted murder because when you tie a rope around a child and pull that hard you are clearly trying to kill,” Thusi said.

The woman was arrested after the boy’s foster mother opened a case against her. The boy had been removed and taken to a place of safety.

“This is the second such attack in Nquthu. I also remember the case of a woman who assaulted a schoolgirl, accusing her of trying to steal her boyfriend. Clearly people have not learnt from that case that nobody has a right to violate children as and when they please,” said Thusi.

“I wish to commend the boy’s foster mother for taking appropriate action in this matter and the police for their speedy response,” she said.

African News Agency

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