Man in court for stabbing teenager more than 30 times over a cellphone

The grandfather of a 13-year-old who was stabbed more than 30 times sobbed when the boy's alleged attacker appeared in court on Thursday.

The teenager‚ who cannot be named‚ survived the attack but has just undergone his third operation.

"He has nine stab wounds on one hand and seven stab wounds on the other‚'' said his grandfather.

Moheim Salie appeared in the Goodwood Magistrate's Court on Thursday in connection with the stabbing‚ which took place earlier this week.

The grandfather told TimesLIVE that Salie had approached the boy while he was playing soccer with his friends. Salie then allegedly stabbed him.

The 31-year-old accused seemed dazed in the dock. He swayed from side to side and shuffled his feet. He will appear in court again on Friday.

The grandfather said his grandson was also stabbed in the back of his neck and the knife ''pierced right through [to] the front of the neck''.

Doctors have told the family that their main concern is that the tendons in the child's hands have to be reconnected. According to police‚ Salie took the teenager's cellphone.

- TimesLIVE