Mboro’s grandchildren likely traumatised as he refuses to return them to their grandmother

The children who were violently taken from Matshidiso Primary School by Pastor Paseka Mboro Motsoeneng and his armed entourage are likely to face trauma and fear from the incident as they are now in the care of their paternal grandmother. His actions could even amount to kidnapping, said an expert.

Mboro shocked the country and his community when videos emerged of him wielding pangas and being escorted by an armed entourage while entering the primary school in Katlehong on Monday.

One of his private bodyguards went into the school, scaring other pupils, and walked out carrying two crying children, who are said to be Mboro’s grandchildren.

Mboro’s aggressive attack led to a protest by local school children and the community who set his church alight on Tuesday, burning the marquee tent to ashes.

Five people have been arrested since the incident, including Mboro, police said. 

Speaking at the scene, Ekurhuleni district police commissioner Maj-Gen Annah Sithole said the children were in the care of their paternal grandmother.

She confirmed that Mboro’s actions were due to a family dispute over the custody of the children since their mother passed away in April.

“The children are currently with their grandmother — their father’s mother. Both parties, on the mother and father’s side, are reportedly fighting for the children because the mother is deceased,” Sithole said.

Due to the panga attack on Monday, the school pupils were left traumatised as they witnessed him fighting with staff as he demanded the children.

Education psychologist Dr Ken Resnick said the two grandchildren, who are apparently in grade R and grade 2, would likely suffer some form of trauma from the incident and from being removed from their primary caregiver — the maternal grandmother.

“The children are going to be confused, insecure and scared and will likely cry. It is a very traumatic thing for these children. It is the same as kidnapping. He basically kidnapped those children.

“He has no legal right. However, these children need to be put in a safe place. Social development should be able to handle the matter in a legal way and take them away and protect them from this violence. Children recover quickly from such incidents if they are in an environment where they feel safe. This needs legal intervention,” Resnick told TimesLIVE Premium. 

Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department engaged with the social development department to mediate between the two families.

“It is needed to finalise the process of where the children will be staying and if social development will be in the position to find them a home. Those are things that they need to conduct and we have already reached out to [social development] so the children are well taken care of and (return) to school,” he said.

After the scuffle with teachers and Matshidiso school staff, Mboro proceeded to the Katlehong police station to open a case for his son being allegedly assaulted when he tried to see his children in the school.

In a video recorded outside the police station after the incident, Mboro showed his son with half his face covered in a scarf and a bruised and swollen eye.

According to Mboro, his son was attacked at the school and his vehicle was pelted with stones when he went to go see his sons.

He alleges that the teachers had prevented his son from seeing the children and his act was self-defence as he was trying to save his son.

“I went to my car and told my bodyguards, ‘Don’t shoot. I will take the pangas.’ If they throw stones, that is where they will shoot or bring a deadly weapon. Legally, we have a right to shoot back.

“So far, we didn’t shoot. I scared them with those pangas. I was in the army. I was a commander. They use the school [by calling] on children to close the gate. I had to run to get the pangas for defence.

“What would you do, journalists, police, politicians, if your son is in a school and beaten? You will fight with everything that you have.”

He went on to slam the children’s grandmother and her family for wanting money from him to maintain his grandchildren.

“I even helped them bury that woman [the mother]. The casket that they buried her in is Mboro’s money. The toilets at the funeral are from Mboro’s money. They attacked [my son] and destroyed him … They [maternal family] won’t get these children.

“They want to make money with these kids. The children are maintained by their father and I am backing him up. They can make me trend, I don’t care,” Mboro said in a video.