In a disturbing case of neglect, a 30-year-old woman from Thembisa is facing a three-month prison sentence for repeatedly abandoning her children in favor of spending weekends with her boyfriend. Neighbours and concerned community members had been watching in disbelief as the woman regularly left her three young children, aged 11, seven, and two, alone while she sought out companionship and entertainment. Despite her claims of needing to make money to support her family, her actions had raised red flags with those around her, ultimately leading to her arrest after another weekend of neglect.
The situation escalated on Monday, November 25, when the woman’s landlord had finally had enough. After the woman had disappeared for the weekend yet again, leaving the children unattended, the landlord took the children to the Thembisa Police Station, seeking intervention. Captain Nelda Sekgobela of the Ekurhuleni Police confirmed that the woman’s whereabouts had been unknown since Friday, November 22, and that this was not an isolated incident. The landlord, described as a long-suffering witness to the mother’s behaviour, had tried on numerous occasions to talk sense into the woman, only to be met with resistance. “It was too much for me as I have my own responsibilities,” she explained, adding that she often had to step in to care for the children, ensuring they were fed and looked after in the absence of their mother.
This consistent neglect and reckless disregard for the well-being of her children did not go unnoticed by the community. Local residents and leaders had made multiple attempts to intervene, gathering in group discussions to address the mother’s behaviour. Captain Sekgobela revealed that community members had tried to reason with the woman, even bringing in older women to guide her, but their efforts were repeatedly ignored. In fact, their frustration grew as they saw the mother continuously prioritising her personal life over the safety of her children, leaving them vulnerable and alone in a shack with no adult supervision.
The community’s anger boiled over when they discovered the unsafe conditions the children were living in. According to the landlord, the shack where the children were left had a broken lock, making it easier for them to be left exposed and unprotected. The landlord recalled waking up at night to check on the children, worried about their safety in an environment where no one seemed to care for them. The children’s living conditions were described as inadequate, as they were often left to fend for themselves without any adult presence or proper care.
As the police arrived and took the children to a place of safety, the community expressed their dismay at the mother’s neglectful actions. Sergeant Asnath Mokami, part of the Thembisa Social Crime Prevention unit, addressed the crowd that had gathered at the police station, urging the authorities to take swift action. The community made it clear that they no longer wanted this woman in their midst, with local leader Osborn Sikhau emphasizing that they had done all they could to warn her, but to no avail. “We marched to the police station where she was arrested. We had tried to warn her, but she just would not listen,” he said.
The mother was charged with child neglect, and on November 28, she was sentenced to three months in prison at the Thembisa Magistrates Court. Her arrest marked the culmination of a long-standing issue within the community, where residents felt helpless as they watched a mother choose her personal desires over the needs of her children. With the case now closed, the children’s future remains uncertain, but their immediate safety has been secured, thanks to the relentless actions of their concerned landlord and the Thembisa community. This case serves as a grim reminder of the responsibility that comes with parenthood and the critical need for communities to step up when vulnerable children are at risk.
