A young mother is facing imprisonment for fatally neglecting her 19-month-old baby, who tragically succumbed to untreated infection.
The mother, whose name is known to DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette but is being withheld to protect the identity of her other children, was convicted of culpable homicide and child abuse after the death of her daughter five years ago.
The 31-year-old was sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment in the Somerset West Regional Court last Tuesday (26 July). The infant weighed just over 4 kg and was emaciated and undernourished when she died on 21 February 2017.
According to authorities, the mother was apparently living at the notorious Jubilee House (a derelict property on the corner of Andries Pretorius Street and Jubilee Crescent in Somerset West), which was reported on extensively, when she approached the local police station for assistance after she awoke to the child’s body being cold to the touch and the infant having difficulty breathing.
Sources recalled the mother, now of four, showing up at the community service centre with the infant wearing only a nappy and wrapped in a blanket shortly before 06:00 that morning.
Police immediately alerted emergency services, and paramedics declared the child, who had what appeared to be a friable and oozing wound due to a mastoid abscess behind the ear, dead on arrival.
An inquest docket was initially opened until the post-mortem was conducted in March.
Findings on the external examination of the child – whose health was not followed up on routinely with clinic visits and had a history of ear infection and loose stools, was made to sleep on a mattress on the floor, and was breastfed and given wheat cereal as meals – revealed emaciation with wasting of the arms and legs, sunken eyes, a chronically ill appearance, hyperpigmented and sloughing skin on the upper body, excoriation of the private areas consistent with nappy rash and an ear laceration due to mastoiditis.
The internal examination exposed a fistula behind the affected ear and erosion of the mastoid process with cavitation and pus present, pus in the pharynx, out-pouching of the distal oesophagus, massive para-tracheal and submental lymph nodes as well as caseating mesenteric and evidence of pneumonia in the lungs. All sections of the lungs and multiple of the bowel displayed diffuse caseating granulomatous inflammation.
“The cause of death was disseminated granulomatous inflammation, most likely consistent with tuberculosis. Possible neglect cannot be excluded, and therefore it is classified as unnatural,” was the postmortem’s conclusion.
Consequently, the state decided to prosecute, and the mother was arrested and charged with culpable homicide and child abuse.
She was found guilty of unlawfully and negligently causing the death of the 19-month-old by failing to look after her and/or neglecting to obtain the appropriate medical attention she may have needed, and allowing ill-treatment by not taking care of her medically and/or her dietary well-being.
The child protection organisation ACVV Somerset West welcomed the ruling, stating there are many local parents who are guilty of abuse and neglect without any legal prosecution.
The organisation became involved after the case was reported, and an investigation into the family’s circumstances was launched.
The mother apparently has a history of drug abuse and was believed to be pregnant at the time of the infant’s death. She also went on to have another baby in 2019.
As the victim had passed, ACVV Somerset West prioritised the remaining children’s protection as well as support services made available to the parent.
“Support included family reunification services, help with the birth registrations of her children, vaccinations of all the children at the clinic (as they were not vaccinated),” stated the organisation.
All three children, nine, four and three, are in foster care with different families from various Helderberg communities.
