Toddler video 'a cry for help from drug-ravaged Newclare community'

A councillor from Newclare, Johannesburg, where a four-year-old was removed from his family after a video of him being forced to smoke drugs went viral, says the clip was a cry for help rooted in the community's deep socioeconomic challenges.

Four suspects, three men and one woman aged between 28 and 36, were arrested and briefly appeared in the Johannesburg magistrate’s court on charges of child abuse and attempted murder.

Allegations are that the person seen in the video feeding the child drugs is his mother, who  is one of the accused.

Councillor Marilyne Smouse said drug abuse has reached crisis levels in the area and they intervention. “People don’t have anything to do. We are marginalised as a coloured community and police do not serve us as effectively as they should,” she said.

Smouse said she knew some of the accused. “It’s heartbreaking. Some of these people I grew up with or watched grow up. It’s devastating to see a child exposed to such harm by people meant to protect them.”

Gauteng police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said the boy was taken to hospital for medical attention and then placed in a place of safety.

The court matter has been postponed to August 4 and the suspects remain in custody. Smouse said the community has been mobilised and will be in court on Monday.

It’s heartbreaking. Some of these people I grew up with or watched grow up. It’s devastating to see a child exposed to such harm by people meant to protect them

—  Marilyne Smouse, ward councillor

Speaking to Sowetan outside court,  Dr Shaheda Omar of the Teddy Bear Foundation described the video as “shock, horror, sadness and anger”.

“The child responded spontaneously when asked to participate, which suggests this is not an isolated incident. This is a clear violation of the child’s right to safety, health and protection,” she said. 

Omar said a toddler's exposure to Mandrax could have severe and potentially life-threatening effects. “It slows down breathing, can cause respiratory depression, coma, or even death. It affects the heart, lowers blood pressure, can trigger seizures and lead to long-term organ damage.

“We cannot rule out possible brain damage if the child was exposed even before birth. The long-term consequences include addiction, poor concentration, behavioural disorders and psychological trauma.”

ActionSA MP Dereleen James said she was deeply disturbed by the matter, calling it part of a disturbing trend of child abuse cases. “Yet another child violated. We are still reeling from the Jayden-Lee matter, and now this. A spate of negligence has taken root in our communities,” she said.

James said part of the problem lay in poor service delivery in Newclare. “Social workers often fail these communities and return children to the same abusive environments,” she said. “We also know places of safety are overwhelmed, and cases like these are often struck off the roll due to a shortage of social workers. Even after the Joshlin matter, Saldanha Bay [in the Western Cape] struggles with services to protect children from abuse.”

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