NEWS & ANALYSIS

"'My boy was boiled!'" - Daily Sun

"Fury over incident at crèche" - front page lead, February 24 2015

Daily Sun (February 24 2015) - THE CRECHE explains the boy's damaged feet by claiming he was injured on a hot stoep.

But the angry mother doesn't believe the explanation.

SHE BELIEVES HER SON'S FEET WERE BURNT WITH BOILING WATER.

"His skin was blistered and his wounds were peeling," said Anna Mahlangu (43) from Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, the furious mother of 18-month-old Sibusiso Mathonsi.

She said she went to fetch her son at 3pm on Thursday from the creche when she found him crying in pain, with his feet badly burnt.

"Nobody took care of him. Nobody phoned me to let me know what was going on. I want answers!"

She said when she asked the caretakers what had happened, they told her it was the hot paved stoep that had burnt the little boy. But she believes her son's feet were put into boiling water on purpose.

"My boy's feet were burnt from his ankles to the soles of his feet. It is obvious it was not from the stoep," she said.

She told Daily Sun the creche told her that her son was following other children who were running outside to play on the grass, but he couldn't jump off the stoep to the grass and ended up standing on the hot surface and got burnt.

"Phenduka Clinic in Thokoza confirmed my child's injuries were caused by boiling water," she said.

"When they told me it was the stoep I just knew it was a lie. No stoep could burn a child like that. He would have moved away from the sun if it was too hot and burning him."

Anna told Daily Sun ever since her son started attending the Lungelo Daycare Centre in January they had complained about her son.

"They said he is a spoiled brat. They said he likes attention and cries all the time," she said.

"All I want is the truth. I want to know how Sibusiso ended up like this."

She said: "Why didn't they call and tell me that my boy was burnt? Why did I have to find out for myself? Obviously they were hiding something."

Lungelo Daycare Centre manager Jemina Phungwayo said she was at church when the incident happened.

"Yes, the child was seriously burnt on his feet but I can't say they put him into boiling water," she said.

"We are professionals here. We've been working with children for more than 25 years. We have had children who are much more trouble than Sibusiso but we would never even think of putting their feet in boiling water."

Captain Mega Ndobe, spokesman for Ramokonopi Police Station, confirmed that a case of child negligence was opened against the owner of the creche.

"No arrest has been made and the investigation is in progress."

See the Daily Sun's new website for more on this and other stories....

 

The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 274 165 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 2nd Quarter 2014) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.

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