A woman from Newclare, Johannesburg, South Africa, who was captured on video instructing her young son to light and smoke from what appeared to be a drug pipe, appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, July 31, alongside three men alleged to have been present during the incident.
The disturbing footage, which went viral on Tuesday, triggered public outrage and led to the swift arrest of the woman by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) later that night. Two of the men were arrested the same evening, while the third suspect was apprehended on Wednesday.
All four are facing charges of attempted murder and child abuse for allegedly exposing the child to harmful substances. The group has indicated plans to apply for Legal Aid representation. The case has been postponed to August 4.
The child involved, initially believed to be three years old, is actually four, the court heard. He has since been taken to a place of safety after undergoing a medical assessment in hospital.
“The video depicted the child lighting drugs in a bottle neck for his mother, who then encouraged him to smoke, all in the presence of other adults,” the JMPD stated earlier this week.
According to authorities, the mother was located following a tip-off. “When questioned, she identified two other individuals present in the video, including the person who recorded it,” JMPD said. “All three suspects confessed to using Mandrax and admitted to filming the incident. Their cellphones were confiscated as evidence.”
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit are investigating the case.
“The FCS in Gauteng has 22 units strategically located in the province servicing 146 police stations,” she said. “There are at least 66 detectives on standby from FCS after hours to attend to cases related to their mandate.”