Prosecutor changed in lingering case of caregiver who 'beat children at crèche'

The prosecutor in the case against a Carletonville caregiver who was filmed allegedly beating young children at Ninnie Neurons nursery school has been changed.

Nellie Senwametsi was scheduled to appear in the Oberholzer magistrate’s court on Tuesday.

“A new advocate has been appointed. He will consult the victims as well as the witnesses,” said Ngaa Murombedzi of Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA).

The non-profit organisation has been following the proceedings.

Murombedzi said the change of prosecutor had given affected parties renewed hope in the matter.

“That the prosecutor has been changed is a step in the right direction. Parents have expressed their disappointment at how the docket has taken this long to finalise, and they attribute that to the senior public prosecutor and the police directly,” she said.

Senwametsi had been expected to offer a final plea deal to the state. She faced charges of assault.

The WMACA said earlier: “Her plea cannot replace the fact that she was shown on video violently abusing young children in a level of fragile neuro-developmental state, and should be judged on this unforgivable behaviour."

The videos circulated on social media in April 2019.

Social development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza closed the school after discovering its licence had expired.

The case returns to court on April 20.