Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo
06 August 2025
A heartbreaking case of alleged child abuse has come to light in Emzinoni Extension 6, where a 10-year-old girl was reportedly being beaten regularly by her aunt, who is her mother’s older sister, known in African culture as her mamkhulu.
The suspect was arrested on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, following a tip-off sent to Sgt Cynthia Mtsweni, the spokesperson for Emzinoni Police Station, on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, at approximately 8 pm.
The police did not waste time, but responded swiftly and rushed to the given address, where a 10-year-old girl was reportedly being beaten regularly by her aunt.
According to concerned sources who don’t want to be known, the young girl has been enduring ongoing physical abuse that resembled brutal attacks rather than discipline.
Witnesses describe the beatings as being so violent that the child often cried uncontrollably and hid to avoid further punishment.
A concerned community member said the victim was already emotionally drained and deeply traumatized in a way that she recently attempted to take her own life by pointing a knife at her neck—pleading to be released from what she described as “a life full of pain.”
The abuse raised serious alarm among the community members and neighbours.
The Emzinoni Station Commander, Capt Lucky Nkosi, also involved the FCS, and the child was immediately removed, taken to the hospital for examination and treatment.
The Department of Social Development will also provide the necessary support and ensure the protection of the child.
