A 65-year-old woman appeared in the Eenhana Magistrate’s Court yesterday for the torture of her nine-year-old grandson.
It is alleged that the boy sustained serious injuries to his head and private parts after he was battered with sticks and burned with firewood on his private parts by his grandmother.
The incident took place over the weekend at the Onakalunga village in the Ohangwena region.
The elderly woman, whose name is known but cannot be revealed to protect the identity of the victim, has been charged with a case of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, read with provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act. She appeared in the Eenhana Magistrate’s Court, and was remanded in custody. The case was postponed to 19 June 2023 for further investigations.
It is alleged that the pensioner ambushed and attacked her grandson at night after he earlier refused to take their livestock to the kraal.
Commissioner Zacharia Amakali, head of the police’s crimes investigations unit in Ohangwena, confirmed the incident. He said the boy has since been admitted to the Eenhana State Hospital, with his condition being critical. He observed that the police are carrying out further investigations into the matter to determine if the
child had been abused before.
Amakali, therefore, urged community members to work with the police in reporting cases of a similar nature, as cases of child abuse are on the rise.