Family Distraught After 18-Year-Old Poisoned Baby Brother, Details Schizophrenia and Drug Abuse

Family Distraught After 18-Year-Old Poisoned Baby Brother, Details Schizophrenia and Drug Abuse

  • Ikemetse Tsheole allegedly killed his baby brother with rat poison before attempting to dumb the body
  • The 18-year-old was on medication for schizophrenia and had a history of drug abuse according to the family
  • South Africans were disturbed by the news, with some noting his scary appearance in court
Ikemetse Tsheole poisoned his baby brother before attempting to dump his body
The family of Ikemetse Tsheole are distraught after he killed his baby brother with rat poison. Image: @POWER987News
Source: Twitter

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has spent a decade reporting on the South African political landscape, crime and social issues. He spent 10 years working for a community newspaper before transitioning to online

The tragic death of a three-year-old at the hands of his own brother has left South Africans reeling.

Ikemetse Tsheole (18) stands accused of killing his baby brother Tebogo and attempting to dispose of his body in a rubbish bin. Ikemetse reportedly poisoned the three-year-old with rat poison.

Family gutted by Ikemetse’s actions

Speaking out about the incident, the family of the 18-year-old said they are battling to come to terms with the tragedy but stated that he warned them he was going to do something terrible.

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His aunt, Lebogang Motsaneng, said Ikemetse threatened to do “horrible” things, but the family never believed it would be as bad as it was. She added that they believed his comments were a result of the medication he was taking for schizophrenia.

His older brother, Thato, said they were aware of his mental illness but also knew that he was on drugs. The substance abuse is said to have made him more aggressive as a result.

Ikemetse to undergo psychiatric evaluation

The 18-year-old has since appeared in the Vereeniging Magistrate's Court on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice. He will also undergo assessment at a state psychiatric hospital.

In October last year, he was admitted to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital for two weeks. It came after he showed signs of social withdrawal, aggressive behaviour and bizarre delusions. Ikemetse stated that he had an ancestral calling linked to Illuminati Satan.

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South Africans disturbed by the crime

The news left many shaken up, as they reflected on how scary the youngster looked.

@inkabiYezwe said:

“How has taking a life become so easy for people to do?”

@ZwaneDudu stated:

“He is scary.”

Tebogo Digas added:

“Something is not right with him.”

Theodecia Nyari Mphuthi said:

“So, the mother lost both kids.”

Sinhlatii Munhu stated:

"This young man need psychological evaluation. No sane person could do such a horrible deed to his/her sibling."

Limpopo man confesses to killing brother

In a related article, a man handed himself over for allegedly murdering his own brother.

Briefly News reported that the man allegedly killed his brother during an argument.

The argument turned physical and one of the brothers fetched a knife and stabbed his brother.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Byron Pillay avatar

Byron Pillay (Current Affairs Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 11 years covering a wide variety of news as a community journalist, including politics, crime and current affairs. He also was a Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za