Baby Daniel's killer maintains his innocence

A war of words erupted at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday between Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) director Miranda Jordan-Friedmann and Tim Naidoo*, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering three-year-old Baby Daniel.

Shortly after court proceedings adjourned, an emotional Jordan-Friedmann let loose, waving her finger at Naidoo. She labelled him a “despicable man” who deserved to “rot in hell” for what he had done to the young boy.

Naidoo and his family did not take kindly to the name-calling and lashed out at Jordan-Friedmann, calling for her to provide evidence to what they said were lies being peddled against him.

“Where is the evidence? Show us at least one piece of evidence,” Naidoo said, maintaining his innocence.

His family also shouted at Jordan-Friedmann to give them space, asking how she was even involved in the matter.

Baby Daniel died in his Naturena home, south of Johannesburg, in June 2016, after being submerged in boiling water. The post mortem report revealed that besides broken bones and bruising, the young boy had burn wounds to 60% of his body.

Jordan-Friedmann, along with her advocacy group, have overseen countless abuse cases involving women and children, but following Wednesday's court proceedings she admitted that this particular case had moved her.

“It has probably been one of the hardest and one of the most traumatic cases to listen to. To have heard what had happened to this boy ... can we imagine the terror that he must have felt living everyday with this man and woman who was meant to protect him? What happened to him that night we will never know,” she Friedmann said outside the court.  

Daniel’s mother, Maryke Cloete*, was on Wednesday sentenced to 20 years behind bars for child neglect.

Jordan-Friedmann welcomed the sentence, saying she had failed to be a mother to her son.

“There is some real satisfaction today. We are extremely satisfied that the judge saw through all the lies, arrogance, lack of remorse, and for us, 20 years actually sets a precedent when it comes to the fact that deliberate neglect led to the death of her child,” Jordan-Friedmann said.

She said Cloete had had numerous chances to leave Naidoo, her boyfriend at the time of Baby Daniel's death, but had chosen to stay.

“All I want to say is that this woman is a cold-hearted, sadistic child abuser,” Jordan-Friedmann said, adding that she hoped she would never again have contact with her three surviving children.

One of the children was Baby Daniel’s elder brother from a previous relationship. The other children, aged two and three, she had with Naidoo.

The two younger children are in a place of safety, while Baby Daniel’s elder sibling is living with his biological father in KwaZulu-Natal.

Jordan-Friedmann said Cloete's eldest child must have been deeply disturbed, having

"witnessed things that no child should witness".

WMACA members came out in their numbers on Wednesday, dressed in black t-shirts.

They hung up posters at the entrance to the court, depicting images of the two accused in the matter.

But as the Naidoo family left court, one of them was filmed ripping the posters from the fence.

*Not their real names. Their true identities have been withheld to protect the identity of the couple's other children.