As Women’s Day is commemorated on Saturday, August 9, the nation mourns after the death of a four-year-old girl from Gauteng. 

The little girl from Eldorado Park died on Friday due to the injuries sustained. 

A video of the girl allegedly being assaulted and drowned by her father was circulating on social media this week and caused a nationwide outcry. Residents filmed the incident trying to gather concrete evidence against the father who had been allegedly assaulting the young girl physically and sexually. 

In a video released on Friday evening on TikTok, a member of Parliament, Dereleen James from ActionSA, conveys the side of residents who apparently filmed the incident. 

@cchaynie 🚨💔 In this heart-wrenching clip, Dereleen bravely shares the devastating truth behind why the lady sat quietly recording the horrific torture of baby Nikita by her father, a man described as “a devil” and alleged drug addict. 😢 Tragically, this wasn’t the first time Nikita endured such cruelty, those around believed she’d survive, as she had before. But this time, the unimaginable happened. Sweet Nikita succumbed to injuries no child should ever suffer. 💔 Through her emotional account, Dereleen sheds light on the paralyzing fear and desperate choices made in a moment of terror, urging us to confront this heartbreaking reality. Was recording enough in the face of such horror? Could more have been done? Join in honoring Nikita’s memory by sharing this story and demanding justice and change to protect innocent lives. 🕊️ #NikitaStrong #StopChildAbuse #BreakTheSilence #JusticeForVictims #ChildSafetyMatters #EldoradoPark #EndChildAbuse #ProtectOurChildren #ChildAbuseAwareness #TrueCrime #TrueCrimeTikTok #MysteryUnraveled #CrimeStories #TikTokTrueCrime #Heartbreak #SouthAfricaNews #NeverForget #TrueCrime #MurderMystery #CrimeStory #TrueCrimeCommunity #UnsolvedCase #TrueCrimeTikTok #CrimeDocumentary #MysteryUnraveled #TrueCrimeObsessed #CrimeTalk #SouthAfrica ♬ original sound – Cecil Haynie

Sitting in a vehicle, James tells the camera she wants to explain what the person who took the video told her. 

According to her, the individual stated she had reported the assault of the young girl to the mother several times before the incident earlier this week. 

“The person said: ‘This man [the child’s father] would basically say we are jealous of his relationship and he would come back and torment us’,” James explained. 

The individual told the politician that they did not merely film the incident without taking action.

“The person said that: ‘While I was taking the video. The other people were trying to call the mother, and we called SAPS. So, while we were waiting for SAPS to come, we tried to call people but there was no one. The yard was quiet. This guy was like the devil himself’,” James explained.

She agreed with the individual: “I can believe it because if I look at this little girl’s body. When I look at how he bit her and strangled her. I can believe he was like the devil,” James said with her eyes closed. 

Since being posted, the video has been viewed nearly 22,000 times with over 300 likes on TikTok. 

On Friday evening, police confirmed the little girl’s death.  This was after the child’s 32-year-old father appeared in the Protea Magistrate’s Court earlier during the day, facing charges of attempted murder in connection with his daughter.

The charges have now been changed from attempted murder to murder. 

On Wednesday, August 6, police responded to a complaint regarding the father’s physical abuse of his child.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers were directed to a closed backyard shack. Inside, they discovered a man with a young boy and a little girl.

“They (police) noticed that the girl who was sleeping in the bed had head injuries, bruises, and a swollen eye. The man who introduced himself as the father of the children could not give a clear explanation about what happened to the girl,” police said in a statement.

The father was arrested, and the girl was rushed to a nearby medical care centre for treatment.

The child’s mother has also been charged with defeating the ends of justice. 

robin.francke@iol.co.za

IOL

Source link