A MUM was arrested on Thursday, 21 December.
She was bust for allegedly assaulting and abusing her child (4).
This happened after residents in KZN reported the matter to the police.
The residents claimed that the mother has been beating their child for some time, adding that she even has bruises to prove it.
A resident told Daily Sun that the child should be taken away from her mum because she's abusing her.
"We've recently realised that the child has been abused for a long time. She's a very quiet child who often looks frightened. I think it's because of the abuse," the resident said.
Another resident said the parent will learn a good lesson that she shouldn't punish her child so harshly in future.
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Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesman Prem Balram said its members, together with the police, responded to a call for help from residents who found a child who had been allegedly assaulted and abused over several months.
He said the Rusa Operations Centre received a call on Thursday, 21 December from residents of an informal settlement requesting assistance after a four-year-old girl was found with open wounds on her face, body and upper lip.
Balram said that residents told officers that the child had been allegedly abused by her biological mother over an extended period of time.
"She had suffered injuries and lost a tooth as a result of the assault," he said.
KZN police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that cops in Verulam are investigating a case of common assault after a child (4) was allegedly assaulted by her parent on Thursday, 21 December 2023.
"The mother has been arrested. The circumstances of the incident are currently under investigation," said Netshiunda.