Police sergeant receives suspended sentence for whipping nine-year-old boy with a sjambok
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A Free State police sergeant received a suspended sentence after being convicted of assault with intent to inflict serious harm on a nine-year-old boy.
Thabisile Dhlamini, a 45-year-old officer from the Reitz police station, was sentenced on Wednesday by the Bethlehem Regional Court.
Phaladi Shuping, spokesperson for the Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), reported that on June 27, 2024, Dhlamini summoned the victim to his home and assaulted him with a sjambok, leaving him injured.
At the time of the incident, his mother was in Mpumalanga. Upon returning, she discovered her son injured and rushed him to Phekolong Hospital in Bethlehem.
Sergeant Dhlamini urged the complainant’s mother not to file a case, even offering to cover the child’s medical expenses,” Shuping stated.
Shuping noted that the boy was subsequently taken to Nketoane Hospital for additional treatment. Concerned social workers, alarmed by the severity of his injuries, alerted the police to the situation.
The case was turned over to IPID for investigation, and once completed, the docket was sent to prosecutors, who determined that the officer should face charges for assault with intent to inflict serious bodily harm,” Shuping explained.
Sergeant Dhlamini pleaded guilty and received a two-year sentence, entirely suspended for five years, provided he doesn’t commit a similar offense during that time.
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