Court postpones hearing for mother accused of child drug abuse
The case against a woman accused of giving her four-year-old son a substance to smoke has been postponed for address verification.
The woman and her co-accused, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, appeared in court on Monday, and according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been postponed to August 7.
"The postponement is to allow for verification of the accused's alternative residential addresses, as the investigating officer reported that the provided addresses were inaccessible during a recent visit," NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane explained.
The case made headlines last week after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The video shows the child allegedly lighting a pipe with a substance in it, reportedly for his mother.
"She is then seen allegedly encouraging him to smoke it himself, in the presence of the three co-accused. The accused have been charged with Child Abuse and Attempted Murder. The child has since been removed and placed in a place of safety," Mjonondwane stated.
Meanwhile, Curt van Heerden, a Gauteng-based pastor who was instrumental in tracking down the family following the release of the video, said the boy has been housed in a place of safety.
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