A Kimberley stepfather escaped jail time after being found guilty of child abuse.
The 32-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victims, was sentenced in the Hartswater Regional Court.
The abuse allegations and his subsequent arrest came to light after community members reported allegations of child abuse and child neglect.
Kimberley police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said that community members reported on February 21, 2025, that three children, aged 6, 7, and 10 years, were allegedly being abused by their parents.
“Jan Kempdorp social workers intervened and subsequently reported the matter to the police.
An investigation was immediately initiated, and the case was assigned to the Hartswater Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit,” said Shemane.
He further stated that upon receiving the docket for further investigation, the mother and stepfather fled with the children to Reddersburg in the Free State.
However, social workers in the Free State were able to locate the children and placed them under care and protection.
“Both parents, aged 32, were traced and arrested on 09 November 2023 in Reddersburg.
They appeared in court, where bail was successfully opposed until the conclusion of the trial,” said Shemane.
The stepfather was then convicted and sentenced to one year and six months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for a period of five years, and the charges against the mother was withdrawn.
Shemane further added that the stepfather was further declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
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