18-Year-Old in Court for Alleged Murder of His Brother
An 18-year-old male from Orange Farm, appeared in the Vereeniging Magistrates’ Court today on a charge of murder for allegedly poisoning his three-year-old brother.
It is 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 that her youngest son was missing. Assuming he was playing at a neighbour’s house, she did not raise the immediate alarm. However, by 13:00, when the child had still not returned, she started searching for him.
At approximately 16:00, 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 body to their 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.
In court, the matter was postponed to 13 February 2025 for a formal bail application.
