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WHAT would you do if your child stole R2 from a neighbour?
A 25-year-old woman allegedly took the cruellest measure imaginable.
Miriam Mahlangu, a court heard, grabbed her six-year-old child’s “tiny thieving hand” and placed it on a red-hot stove.
Mahlangu pleaded guilty to ill-treating a child before Beitbridge Magistrate Takudwa Gwazemba, who remanded her in custody until 6 March.
Prosecutor Tawanda Chigavazira told the court that on 11 February, around 7 AM, Mahlangu was told that her daughter had stolen R2 from their neighbour, Mai Alice.
The little girl apologised, promising her mother that she would never do it again.
Instead of accepting the apology, Mahlangu threatened to burn her child.
She switched on the stove, began lashing the tot with a whip, and placed her hand on the burning stove.
The child tried to pull her hand away, but Mahlangu forced her fingers onto the stove.
As a result, Joseph suffered severe burns on her left palm and four fingers.
The police were tipped off, leading to Mahlangu’s arrest.
The girl was medically examined, and a medical report was submitted in court as evidence.
Online Reporter