Killer moms stall fight against abuse: Boipatong residents

Boipatong community leaders, in the Vaal, say cases like that of Keneilwe Shalaba are not helping the country’s fight against the pervasive violence on women and children.

Shalaba and her 50-year-old co-accused appeared before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate Court, where they face charges of premeditated murder and kidnapping of Shalaba’s two-year-old son, Kutlwano.

The sangoma allegedly led the police to a shallow grave where little Kutlwano was buried after confessing to having been in cohorts with his mother.

Several women from the community of Boipatong picketed outside the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court, echoing their sentiments of no bail for the two.

Community leader, Mamello Morobi, expressed anger at the incident, saying it’s disturbing to see a mother being so “heartless”.

She also expressed anger at Shalaba’s co-accused, Sebokwana Khoanyana, only speaking out now.

She says the Lesotho national should’ve come out a long time ago instead of waiting for police to arrest him.

During his arrest, he allegedly claimed that Keneilwe poisoned her son because she was tired of hiding that he was actually a girl.

Morobi has, however, rejected the claims – saying she was probably talking about another child that’s she has perhaps sold.

 

The suspects in the matter have been remanded in custody and are due back in court on the 25th of this month, with Khoanyana having indicated his intention to apply for bail.

He has secured legal representation after previously saying he won’t need one because he intended to plead guilty.

He is now represented by advocate Gladmore Nyamande. However, it’s unclear, whether Khoanyana plans to stand by his confession, with Nyamande saying he is now blowing hot and cold.

The 50-year-old sangoma has two previous convictions.

One of assault from 2019 and another of possession of dagga, both from the Free State.

Shalaba has allegedly confessed to selling Kutlwano for R75 000, which she received on the day the child was reported missing.

One of her neighbours, Paulina Ramabaka, says she is still shocked that one of their own could be implicated in the murder of their own child.

She says she’s known Shalaba since 2021 and is disturbed that she would “conspire” with such an elderly man.

 

Teddy Bear clinic director, Dr Shaheda Omar, says Shalaba’s alleged conduct shows a mother who is in a concerning state of mind.

Speaking to YNews, the veteran counsellor Omar called for more to be done to protect the vulnerable.

 

The harrowing details of the case are emerging as the nation observed Child Protection week, with various sectors of society raising concern over the continued abuse of children.

Despite government’s attempt to turn the tide on the scourge by introducing legislations like the Children’s Act, research shows that the country’s children, like women, are not safe anywhere.

According to a UBS Optimus Foundation’s study on child maltreatment, 42% of children in the country experienced some level of violence during their childhood, while the police’s statistics for the third quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year show that 273 were murdered between October and December 2024; 480 others were victims of attempted murder, while 2 164 of the country’s future leaders suffered assaults with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Sexual abuse cases are also prevalent with the UBS Optimus Foundation’s study showing that in 2015 alone, about 355 000 cases of sexual abuse were perpetuated against children between the ages of 15 and 17.

A recent report by the Teddy Bear Foundation found that of over 5 000 reported child abuse cases between 2019 and 2024, only 4% led to convictions.

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund has called for systemic and trauma-informed, based on multi-component interventions to prevent and treat the effects of violence on child and adolescent mental health.

It’s also believes that more funding for programmes and coordinated delivery of services to be made available for the implementation of an integrated child protection system.