The following story contains graphic details, which may offend sensitive listeners, including children.
The Democratic Alliance in Limpopo wants police held to account for alleged failure to assist two children who were allegedly stabbed by their mother on Thursday in Groblersdal.
Provincial spokesperson on Community Safety, Suzan Phala, says that police were called to attend to a crime scene where a mother allegedly stabbed her two children with a knife, critically injuring them. Police failed to arrive, citing lack of vehicles at the police station.
Police say the 42-year-old mother of five attempted to kill two of her children after being fired from work on a farm in Groblersdal. They say she was hitchhiking following her dismissal when she allegedly cut the throats of the children, aged one and eight.
A security guard on the farm was alerted by the screaming children, and found them, injured. The guard called the police, but he was allegedly told that there were no vehicles at the local police station.
Phala says they want the police’s conduct to be investigated.
“Three o’clock in the morning a guard was alerted by screaming child upon closer inspection the guard found a bloodied 8-year-old child and saw their mother throwing a knife into the bushes the SAPS were called out but the caller was informed that there were no vehicles to respond to the call out. The Democratic Alliance will write to the acting provincial police commissioner general Jan Scheepers to request an urgent investigation into the failure of the Groblersdal SAPS to provide effective assistance to the minor victims of a family violence incident,” she says.
Police spokesperson, Motlafela Mojapelo, says they are investigating the allegations.
“The Police in Groblersdal have arrested a 42-year-old woman for two counts of attempted murder after she allegedly attempted to murder her two children by cutting their throats the incidents took place in one of the farm the woman appeared before Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court and the case has been remanded to the 3rd of March for formal bail application.
Both the children have been admitted in hospital we are also conducting internal investigations on the allegations that the police failed to respond quickly when the incident was reported and we will take an appropriate steps,” explains Mojapelo.
The Limpopo Department of Social Development has condemned the incident, saying people in distress must approach social workers for assistance.
“MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale has made an earnest plea to parents, couples and all community members who are facing harship and difficulties in their relationship and family units to consider the services that are being provided by the Department of Social Development as we as various NPO’s there’s no no for people to resort to such drastic measures to traumatize innocent children,” says the department’s spokesperson, Witness Tiva.
The two children are recuperating in hospital.
