More horror allegations about deceased baby surface
Investigation by Roodepoort Child Welfare under way.
After the Record published an article on 21 August about a five-month-old baby who had passed away, allegedly due to meningitis and septicaemia, apparently because of neglect, more people who are connected in one way or another to the family, have come forward.
Read initial article here: Baby would have been alive, says complainant
Given that none of the complainants, who do not know each other, are willing to be identified, a substantial amount of information has had to be omitted in order to protect their identities. However, some of the allegations made by the three independent complainants, besides those made by Alice van der Walt, are as follows (these are verbatim quotes):
• The “baby was always sick but his mother and father refused to take him to the doctor. I told them (Roodepoort Child Welfare (RCW)) that the baby even got hidings – yes, they gave this poor little baby hidings – because he was always crying. The baby was put on plain cow’s milk from the age of three weeks – if they could not afford formula, the baby had to drink cow’s milk. The baby’s father beats the mother up regularly if she cannot provide him with drugs. She walks around asking for donations, clothes and food and then sells it for drugs. The baby’s seven-year-old sister also gets beaten up regularly. They call it hidings because she steals food from neighbours – but hidings don’t leave black and blue marks.”
• “(The baby) did not have any of his baby immunisations which led to him getting ill and ultimately paying with his life. The doctor (I was at the hospital on two occasions while the baby was in Paediatric ICU at Raheema Moosa hospital) confirmed that his death from bacterial meningitis with septicaemia was a result of his parents not seeking medical intervention when they were supposed to as well as the baby never going for his immunisations”.
• All three complainants claimed that the seven-year-girl hardly attended school and was only placed in school recently having missed out most part of the year. Van der Walt also said she would like to know whether the child attended school and if so for how long.
The three independent versions correlate with one another.
The Record would like to once again confirm that RCW is currently investigating the case in question and conducting an internal investigation. According to the director, Estelle Odendaal, they are taking the matter “very seriously,” and she said “it should never have happened”.
Many of the Record’s readers as well as a number of persons the Record spoke to, expressed their concern for the fate of the deceased baby’s seven-year-old sister.
The baby’s funeral is due to take place today, 23 August.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
