A 22-year-old woman
from Settlers, in Langa, was arrested earlier today (6 July) after she
allegedly poured a child with hot water.
It is alleged the
woman poured the water on the five-year-old to deter her from playing at the
gate into her house. The incident occurred on Saturday 24 June.
Provincial police
spokesperson Capt FC van Wyk said a case of assault with the intent to do
grievous bodily harm (GBH) was opened against the woman. “The case was
transferred to Bishop Lavis Family Violence, Child Protection a Sexual Offences
Unit (FCS) for further investigation.
Luyolo
Lengesi, the co-founder of #LangaForMen, condemned the incident. He described
the perpetrator’s actions as “barbaric”.
#LangaForMen is a
non governmental organisation that educates young men about gender-based
violence (GBV) and gender equality.
Lengesi said the
perpetrator did not deserve to be in the community. “Imagine throwing hot
water on a five-year-old child because the child is playing at your gate. There
are many ways in which she could have stopped the child,” said Lengesi,
adding that the child was left with permanent scars.
As an organisation, Lengesi said they were keen
to assist the victim’s family. “We will support them in court. We will
ensure that the suspect does not get bail. Also, if the family needs
counselling, we will take them to the social workers,” he said.