Mother Sentenced For Scalding Kids With Hot Iron Over Bed-jumping Incident

A Free State woman was sentenced in Welkom court for assault with intent to cause serious harm. The identity of the 37-year-old mother is withheld to shield her minor children from further trauma.

The incident, involving three children—an 11-year-old and 9-year-old twins—occurred on June 1, 2024, according to provincial police spokesperson Sergeant Sinah Mpakane. The mother has since been convicted of assault.

The court was told that the children were jumping on the bed when a fight erupted between them on the day of the incident.

The mother summoned all three children, forced their hands onto the ironing board, and burned them with a hot iron. After scorching their hands, she sent the children straight to bed.

The next day, when one of the twins began crying, the mother called her over, forced her hand onto the ironing board again, and burned it with the hot iron.

After the second incident, the court heard, the mother fed the children and once again sent them to bed. The following day at school, a teacher noticed the burn marks and asked one of the children what had happened. The boy revealed that all three siblings had been burned by their mother as punishment, explaining the reason behind it.

The teacher promptly reported the incident to the police. The court sentenced the mother to four years imprisonment wholly suspended for a period of five years on the condition she is not convicted of a similar offence during the period of suspension. She was also ordered to undergo a Department of Social Development (DSD) parenting programme successfully. The court further ordered the mother unfit to possess a firearm.