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2 weeks ago
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A mother and three men will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court after admitting to encouraging a young child to smoke drugs.
- A mother and three men, aged 29 to 51, have been charged with attempted murder after a viral video showed a 4-year-old boy smoking from what appeared to be a mandrax pipe.
- They appeared in Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court; the State opposes bail while waiting for a lab report to confirm the substances involved.
- The case was postponed to 4 August for legal representation.
A mother and three men, who encouraged her four-year-old son to light and smoke what the mother admitted to being mandrax in a bottleneck pipe, have now been charged with attempted murder.
The four, aged between 29 and 51, appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after a video of the boy smoking went viral.
The mother and two men were arrested on Tuesday.
However, on Thursday, a fourth person joined them in court following his arrest on Wednesday and he faces charges of attempted murder and child abuse.
On Thursday, Magistrate Jacobus Pretorius ordered that the accused not be identified until their legal representation was present.
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Prosecutor Adele Erasmus told the court that the State would oppose bail.
“The accused persons before court exposed the child to harmful nicotine and or drugs. We are still awaiting the Forensic Science Laboratory report to ascertain the substances,” Erasmus said.
During Thursday’s proceedings, the boy’s 29-year-old mother was dressed in light blue jeans, black sneakers, a grey sweater, and a grey beanie.
She appeared calm and composed in the dock and softly indicated that she would opt for legal aid representation. Her hair seemed to be dyed red.
Two of the men maintained a calm demeanour, their gaze fixed directly on the magistrate as the charges were read.
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In contrast, the third man appeared restless, frequently rubbing his hair. At one point, he stood with his left hand gripping his neck.
Newclare, Westbury and Coronationville ward councillor Marilyne Smouse was happy that the four had now been charged with attempted murder.
“I’m actually glad that they (the State) have done that because this was inhumane for a mom and the people of the community. These are boys who grew up in front of me in our area.”
Smouse said:
It is sad to see that moms and brothers, fathers can do this to a little boy, somebody that cannot defend himself, so I’m glad with the outcome.
Smouse said the community faced a severe crisis, where young children were exposed to drug abuse and violence.
“It is a crisis, and we need serious intervention. We need our voices to be heard. We need everyone on board,” she said.
She said the community was also plagued with high unemployment.
“The poverty in our communities...we need somebody out there, higher governance to listen to us.
“We have a lot of children who went to university, but we are being marginalised. We have so many children with potential in Westbury and surrounding areas who can be put into these positions, and we are not being granted the opportunity,” she said.
The case was postponed to 4 August for legal representation.
