The Star Late Edition

ANGER OVER CRÈCHE OF HELL

Dramatic video captured vicious assault on kids

- SIPHUMELEL­E KHUMALO and KHAYA KOKO

PARENTS who quickly rescued their then two-year-old boy in 2017 from a horror Carletonvi­lle crèche after learning of violent assaults on children are relieved the culprits have been arrested.

“I am happy this is finally out because there is no way that people didn’t know. It could have been my son; I am grateful we acted early,” said the father.

The couple were reacting yesterday to viral and graphic videos showing a caregiver at Ninnie’s Neurons Nursery School violently beating up three small children on separate occasions. She assaulted the children with open hands all over their little bodies, ostensibly because they weren’t cleaning up after themselves properly while one child was beaten up for refusing to sleep.

The parents, whose son is now aged four, said red flags were raised for them when their son returned home hungry, despite the “absurd demands for extra money and groceries”, which were made by the abusive crèche caregiver.

This comes as Gauteng Social Developmen­t MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza confirmed yesterday that the nursery school was not registered with her department.

The mother of the boy said their nightmare came true after they sent their elder daughter, who was aged seven in 2017, to aftercare at the same crèche and she came back with horror stories.

“My daughter told me that the kids are being bullied and ill-treated, and it slowly started making sense because of the way my son, who was two at the time, reacted every time he had to go to crèche,” she added.

Her husband also said the facility hired new people from time to time and when the worker who took the videos was not paid by the principal, she used them as blackmail.

This is unacceptab­le; we condemn it. We as social developmen­t have decided to close the school down Nandi Mayathula-Khoza MEC

Mayathula-Khoza said: “This is unacceptab­le; we condemn it. We as social developmen­t have decided to close the school down. The principal will be issued with a letter of enforcemen­t to close the crèche down.”

Mayathula-Khoza said she could not bring herself to watch the videos, and encouraged parents to open a case against the principal. The principal refused to comment.

Gauteng police spokespers­on Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said the caregiver in the video was arrested and charged for assault on the three children.

The woman was out on bail and would return to court next month.

 ??  ?? CAUGHT in the act: the horrific clips which captured the violent beatings meted out to children by a caregiver at Ninnie’s Neurons Nursery School. Police have arrested her in connection with the assaults. The woman, who is out on bail, is set to appear in court next month. |
CAUGHT in the act: the horrific clips which captured the violent beatings meted out to children by a caregiver at Ninnie’s Neurons Nursery School. Police have arrested her in connection with the assaults. The woman, who is out on bail, is set to appear in court next month. |
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