Police refuse to transport mutilated boy (4)

A four-year-old boy, whose private parts were badly injured, was left to suffer for about an hour in a Kagiso police station, as they couldn't transport him to hospital because of policy. A member of the public took him instead.

"When we got to the police station we explained what happened. The child was in pain and I asked them to call an ambulance as he was bleeding between his legs," says a community leader, Lydia Hlahane.

The Kagiso police station spokesperson, Bongani Sibiya, says: "According to our instructions… we cannot transport (the) injured with our vehicles."

The boy is still in shock, but in a stable condition. Medical experts say it’s a miracle he survived. The Kagiso police only opened a case of attempted murder today. The Independent Complaints Directorate will investigate the conduct at the police station.

The provincial SAPS spokesperson, Lungelo Dlamini, says: "We are going to investigate why they didn't take the boy to the hospital… why they didn't use their discretion looking at the circumstances..."

After a long search, the police located the boy’s parents.