COUPLE ARRESTED FOR CHILD NEGLECT AFTER INFANT AND TODDLER BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION IN SHACK FIRE
The Reitz police have arrested a couple, aged 23 and 25, from the Petsana informal settlement near Reitz in the Free State following a horrific incident in which a seven-month-old infant and a one-year-six-month-old toddler were burned beyond recognition after being left alone inside a shack on Saturday night.
It is alleged that on Saturday, 3 May 2025, at about 22:45, the two children—a toddler (male) and an infant (female)—were left unsupervised in the shack while their parents went out drinking. While at the drinking venue, the couple was informed by a community member that their shack was on fire. They rushed back to the scene and found police and shocked community members already there. It was at that moment they realised the children had been left alone.
According to Thabo Mofutsanana Policespokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring the cause of the fire is currently unknown. Police have opened cases of inquest and child neglect for investigation.