Toddler 'murdered by teen brother' laid to rest!

AN 18-YEAR-OLD allegedly killed his three-year-old brother to hurt his parents and tried to dump the body in an open field.

The incident took place at Drieziek extension 3 in Orange Farm, south of Joburg on Friday, 31 January.

On Thursday morning, 6 February young Teboho Abraham Tsheole was laid to rest while his elder brother fought for his freedom.

According to his aunt, Lebohang Matsaneng, a week ago, they reported the 18-year-old brother to the police after he disappeared with Teboho for two days.

When another brother noticed the 18-year-old leaving home pushing a dustbin without any sign of Teboho, he followed him and caught up before he could cross the N1 freeway.

The two fought over the dustbin, and as the 18-year-old realised he was losing, he ran away.

Matsaneng said the brother opened the dustbin and found his younger brother wrapped in a blanket.

He rushed back home with the body.

ALSO READ | Evil 'rapist' madala (61) appears in court!Opens in new window

"I felt sorry for my sister as furious community members accused the mother of killing her child and using the mentally disturbed child to dump the child," she said.

"The boy is mentally unstable and always high on drugs. Every day, he demands R100, and if not given, it's a big problem, as the family home no longer has windows because he breaks them. He threatened his parents that he was going to do something very bad because he is not loved," Matsaneng added.

Police spokesman Sergeant Shaun Motsapi said a case of murder and defeating the ends of justice was registered.

National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Lumka Mahanjana said an 18-year-old male from Orange Farm appeared in the Vereeniging Magistrates Court on Monday, 3 February 2025, charged with murder and allegedly poisoning his three-year-old brother.

"It's alleged that on 31 January 2025, at around 11:00, the child's mother was at home with the accused and her other two sons, aged 16 and 22, when she noticed her youngest son was missing. Assuming he was playing at a neighbour's, she did not raise the immediate alarm. However, by 13:00, when the child had not return, she started searching for him," said Mahanjana.

She said that at about 4pm, the 16-year-old brother went to a nearby veld near the N1 highway to feed his goats when he saw the accused placing the child's body inside a dustbin.

"After confronting him, the brother took the dustbin containing the child's body home and informed their mother. Emergency services were called, and the child was declared dead at the scene. The following day, the 18-year-old accused handed himself over to the police, allegedly confessing to poisoning his brother with rat poison. The case was postponed to 13 February 2025 for a formal bail application," added Mahanjana.