A grief-stricken father is struggling to comprehend a violent attack on his toddler after he found her with multiple stab wounds, lying in a pool of blood.
The child is recovering in hospital.
The father, speaking outside the Humansdorp magistrate’s court on Monday, described how he had found his two-year-old daughter lying on the floor of a house in Jeffreys Bay on New Year’s Day.
When I entered that house, my child was full of stab wounds,” he said.
There was blood on the floor.
We could not ask anything
The suspect, whose name is known to The Herald but cannot be published due to a court order, was arrested at her house in Tokyo Sexwale township at about 4am.
The woman, a 59-year-old suspect, has appeared in court and is facing charges of child neglect and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The case has been remanded to January 12 for a formal bail application.
The child’s father said due to their shock the family had not even asked the childminder what had happened.
“When I entered that house, my child was full of stab wounds,” he said.
“There was blood on the floor.
“We could not ask anything.
“We all cried, including her mother and my brother, because of her horrifying condition.
“The doctor told us she had sustained 15 stab wounds in the head, face, her back, chest and hands.”
Asked for time off to celebrate on New Year’s Eve, never imagined the horrific incident that would follow.
The mother was in the company of his brother and a relative.
“She came to me while carrying the baby on her back to say they would like to go out.
“Shame, she did indicate to me before the 1st that she would like to go out and have fun.”
He said she then took the toddler to the childminder, who had previously indicated that she would not have an issue looking after her.
“She once even told us that our child was lovable …
“I felt she would be safe.”
At the time, the father said, he had opted to sleep at his home instead of going out because he neither drank nor smoked.
He said the child’s mother returned home in the early hours of the morning and continued to have fun with others outside.
However, shortly thereafter the childminder’s daughter shouted for him to go outside.
When he did, he was met by a security guard who could only say the situation was bad.
He then went to the scene and was met by the toddler’s mother, who was crying.
She was shouting: “It’s our child, our child!”
Police and residents had gathered outside the house.
The father said he and the child’s mother could not stop crying until an ambulance arrived and transported them to the Humansdorp hospital, where the toddler was treated and bandaged.
She was later taken to Livingstone Hospital, where she received further treatment.
He said she was recovering but still in pain.
“We don’t know what happened,” he said.
“It was the first time we asked someone to look after our child.
“We feel really bad.
“We never thought of something like this.
How can someone do something like this to a child who can’t answer for herself?
We feel hurt. I can’t sleep
“How can someone do something like this to a child who can’t answer for herself?
“We feel hurt. I can’t sleep.
“When I think about it, I ask God why she deserved it.
“Her mother is not okay. She is stressed.
“I can’t forgive myself.
“It will be very difficult now to trust people.
“We don’t know how we’re going to respond to her when she gets older and asks about her wounds.”
A relative of the father’s said the family was hurt.
“We can’t sleep,” the relative said.
“We thank God that she is still alive.
“How are we supposed to trust people again, even at daycares?”
A witness said when she arrived on the scene the child was covered with a blanket, and her mother had removed it.
“They covered her up like she was dead.
“It is her mother who removed the blanket to only find out that she was still alive.”
Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said they were called out to the scene after receiving a complaint that a child had been injured.
“It is unknown how the victim sustained the injuries as the childminder was allegedly under the influence of alcohol,” Gantana said.
“The victim was taken to hospital.”
A group of Jeffreys Bay residents attended court on Monday in a show of support for the child and her family.
ANC Ward 2 PR councillor Vuyokazi Batyi said they were all shocked about the incident.
“We came to show compassion to the family,” Batyi said.
“I don’t want to lie; this is the first such heinous act to happen in our area.
“We are still reeling in shock. I’m still shaken. We don’t know what happened.”
DA Ward 2 councillor Bonita Moos said they were concerned about the incident. “I came to find out about the proceedings and what steps would be taken.
“We would like for the case to be followed through so that we can have justice.
“Justice for our small babies.
“That’s a child that is two years old.
“She doesn’t have a say. She’s helpless.
“We as a community need to stand together to fight for her,” said Moos.
The Fallen Angels Support Group’s Felicity Cupido said the family needed moral support.
“Like now in [the child’s] case, she can’t speak for herself and that’s why we’re reaching out to the parents and seeing how we can help by speaking up for her because she’s a little girl who is two years old; she needs people to reach out and speak for her,” Cupido said.
The Teddy Bear Foundation offers tips for parents looking for childminders.
The foundation’s child-protection guidance offers points from a safeguarding perspective. It focuses on prevention, early warning signs and practical checks, especially in light of incidents where children have been harmed while in the care of a childminder and where “impairments” (such as alcohol use) are suspected.
“Children under five are especially vulnerable and rely entirely on adults to keep them safe,” the guidelines read.
“Parents can significantly reduce risks by carrying out careful checks before hiring, staying alert during care and acting quickly if concerns arise.”
Before hiring a childminder, the guidelines say, it is essential to conduct background and legitimacy checks such as asking for official identification, verifying registration or licensing with the relevant authority (where applicable), requesting a criminal background check (police clearance) and asking for at least two references, preferably from the parents of young children.
It is also advisable to confirm whether the childminder has undergone first aid and child safety training, among other issues.
The Herald