3 Western Cape Men Arrested After Torturing, Almost Drowning 9-Year-Old Boy Accused of Theft

• Three men from the Western Cape have been arrested after they allegedly tortured and almost drowned a nine-year-old boy
• The men accused the boy of stealing R600 and went on to assault him while recording it
• South Africans are livid and called for all of them, including the person who recorded the video, to be thrown in jail

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered police investigations and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

South Africans are furious after a nine-year-old boy from Klapmuts in the Western Cape was tortured and almost drowned for allegedly stealing R600. The little boy's ordeal was recorded and of the five who were at the scene, only three were arrested. Mzansi is calling for more arrests.

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5 Men torture little boy

According to Daily Voice, the horrific incident happened in January after the boy was accused of stealing R600. The men used a car battery and cables to torture him before trying to drown him in a wheelie bin filled with water. A woman recorded the ordeal and laughed as the boy almost drowned.

The South African Police Service arrested three suspects and they were charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. They appeared in court on 5 February 2024 and their case was postponed pending a bail hearing.

South Africans disgusted by the torture

South Africans on Facebook were beside themselves with rage and called for everyone, including the woman who recorded the video of the assault, to be arrested.

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Sadeeqah Smith said:

"Arrest the people who filmed and who watched and didn't do anything, as well as the ones laughing and encouraging it."

Sandran Helem remarked:

"They should arrest all involved: those who took the video and those who laughed and cheered them on."

Averil Scholtz exclaimed:

"How cruel can they be? Poor child, I hope they get punished severely."

Leslie Barendse wrote:

"Heartless and brutal. How can one do this to a helpless nine-year-old?"

Waseemah Van der Lily cried:

"How horrific and traumatic for the child! They should have all been arrested. Sick!"

Man arrested for assaulting mentally ill child

In a similar incident, Briefly News reported that a man from Limpopo was arrested for sexually assaulting a mentally ill 12-year-old child.

The man, from Mathapo village, found the girl playing with other children when he took her to a graveyard and sexually assaulted her. After assaulting her, he took her back to her house and told her not to say anything.

Source: Briefly News