Publications
- Caretaker caught on video assaulting toddler will be deported to Zimbabwe.
- Noria Ziburawa pleaded guilty to the charges.
- She was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment with the option of a R3 000 fine.
A North West caregiver has been found guilty and sentenced for assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm after a video of her beating a half-naked toddler surfaced and subsequently went viral.
Noria Ziburawa, who was also found guilty of being in the country illegally, appeared in the Potchefstroom Magistrate's Court on Friday, where she pleaded guilty.
Police spokesperson Captain Sam Tselanyane said authorities were in the process of deporting Ziburawa to Zimbabwe.
She was sentenced to a R3 000 fine or 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for five years.
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For being in the country illegally, she received an R800 fine or six months' imprisonment, of which half of the sentence was suspended for three years.
"This sentence came after police received information about a video trending on social media at the beginning of January 2022. In the footage, the accused is seen assaulting a half-naked toddler. On Thursday, 13 January 2022, the information was operationalised, leading investigators to Potchefstroom Central Business District, where the suspect was located in a building in Walter Sisulu Street," said Tselanyane.
When Ziburawa was arrested, 32 children were found in her care, including the toddler she assaulted.
"All stakeholders including social welfare were summoned to the scene. Consequently, Ziburawa was arrested and appeared before court for the first time on Friday, 14 January 2022," said Ziburawa.
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