The community of Drieziek, Orange Farm, is reeling after a horrifying incident that has brought the issue of child safety into sharp focus.
This comes after a three-year-old boy was allegedly fed bread laced with rat poison by his 18-year-old brother last Friday.
As such, on Thursday, the community came out in their numbers to comfort the Tsheole-Sibanda family during a funeral service of their 3-year-old boy, who was laid to rest at the De Deur Cemetery.
It was reported that last Friday, the three-year-old was playing outside while his family, including his mother, Nthabiseng Esther Tsheole, were inside their home not realising that the 18-year-old suspect was planning to secretly poison him.
The18-year-old male has since appeared in the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court on Monday on a charge of murder.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the police confirmed this incident in their statements.
On the day of the incident, when his other younger brother questioned him about the odd dustbin, the suspect objected. Unconvinced by his story, he followed his older brother to a vacant field on the nearby N1 Highway.
The neighbourhood was aroused by his screams, and as the suspect was running away, they made the horrifying discovery and nearly attacked the child’s mother, who was later found not to be the murderer, before the situation was brought under control.
NPA spokesperson, Lumka Mahajana, indicated that the incident happened at about 11am last Friday.
“It is alleged that on 31 January 2025, at around 11:00, the child’s mother was at home with the accused and her two other sons, aged 16 and 22, when she noticed that her youngest son was missing. Assuming he was playing at a neighbour’s house, she did not raise the immediate alarm. However, by 1pm, when the child had still not returned, she started searching for him.
“At approximately 4pm, the 16-year-old brother went to a nearby veld near the N1 highway to feed his goats when he saw the accused placing the child’s body inside a dustbin.
“After confronting him, the brother took the dustbin containing the child’s body to their home and informed their mother. Emergency services were called, and the child was declared dead at the scene,” Mahajana said.
Speaking during a sombre service at the family home, family, friends and mourners lamented the dark cloud hovering the community with ward councillor, Mxolisi Nzondo indicating that when he received the call, he was already attending another incident in which a young mother fed her two children the same rat poison that had killed the three-year-old.
“As a councillor, I am saddened by this tragic event because we are seeing an increase in the number of poisoning of children. Before attending to this case, I was on the other side of this community attending to the same issue where a mother had poisoned her two children.
“That funeral has already taken place. As this community, we are struggling with the issue of drugs and unemployment rate among young people which are the contributing factors to this scourge,” he stated.
The police also confirmed the incident, adding: “A case docket of murder and defeating the hands of justice was registered. On the same day, police investigation with the assistance of the community members led to the arrest of the 18-year-old suspect,” said the Orange Farms SAPS report.