There has been a bittersweet reaction from the lobby group, Women and Men Against Child Abuse, to the conviction of the parents of little baby Daniel*, who died in June 2016 after being tortured and burnt with boiling water.
WMACA said while it was satisfied that step-dad Timothy Naidoo * had been convicted on a charge of murder, they were bitterly disappointed that the child's biological mother, * Maryke, was only convicted of child abuse and negligence.
Spokesperson, Joanne Barratt, said that she had been an extremely negligent mother and had "shown no emotion" during the judgment by South Gauteng High Court judge, Collin Matshitse.
He said that evidence showed that *Maryke "must have been aware or should have been aware" or should have "foreseen" what was happening to Baby Daniel*, known in court records as R.
"However, being afraid of accused 2 (Naidoo*) she became silent and her silence caused the death of her son", the judge said.
Evidence before the court had revealed that *Daniel had suffered horrific injuries which included a broken elbow, broken femur, injured ribs, and a second degree burns to 60% of his body.
Barratt said that the case will be a landmark going forward in terms of child abuse and negligence because the little boy had "suffered absolute torture".
The matter was postponed to Friday for an application to extend *Maryke's bail, before sentencing proceedings commence on 21 January.
(*not their real names)
