While 7-year-old Ashwin Jonkerman was laid to rest at the weekend, his mother is expected back in court on Monday in connection with his murder.
Drezene Jonkerman is one of two Southern Cape mothers accused of killing their children in separate incidents.
Oudtshoorn residents were left in shock after Jonkerman’s arrest.
Police initially opened an inquest docket for investigation. Police spokesperson Christopher Spies said a post-mortem conducted later indicated that the boy had died of strangulation and the docket was subsequently changed to murder.
“The investigation into the death of the 7-year-old boy reveals that on August 11 at about 11.30am, Oudtshoorn police were summoned to a scene at Korhaan Avenue, Bridgeton.
On arrival, they found the lifeless body of the boy in a bedroom. Paramedics later declared him dead on scene,” he said.
It was reported that at the time Ashwin’s body was found, Jonkerman said she went to church and the child was sleeping because he was tired.
Spies said further police investigations led to the arrest of the 39-year-old mother last Wednesday.
“She made her first court appearance in the Oudtshoorn Magistrate’s Court on Friday on a murder charge.
The accused was remanded in custody and the matter postponed to August 27 (today) for legal representation,” he said.
Meanwhile, a 23-year-old woman appeared at the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court on Monday following her arrest at the weekend in connection with the death of her infant.
According to Spies, on August 19 local police officers were dispatched to a scene at about 11am next to the N2 highway opposite Kwanokuthula where the body of an infant, believed to be three days old, was found.
“On arrival they found the baby, a girl, who was declared dead by medical personnel on the scene. Investigations took police to a nearby hospital where a woman gave birth to the child earlier this month. The woman was tracked down at Kwanokuthula and arrested on a murder charge,” said Spies.
Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siya Monakali said the tragic cases in Oudtshoorn and Plettenberg Bay underscore a troubling and persistent issue in society.
“These incidents highlight the urgent need for comprehensive action to address child abuse, negligence and abandonment. Children should never suffer, regardless of the circumstances,” he said.
Department of Social Development (DSD) spokesperson Esther Lewis said that between January and March 2024 there were five cases of child abandonment reported to the provincial department.
Lewis said support services were available at public health facilities, DSD offices and NPOs in the child protection sector for those who need support following the birth of a baby.
Helderberg Baby Saver founder Sandy Immanuel said baby abandonment was still a big problem in society.
“Each case is unique, but often these girls or women find themselves abandoned by the father of the baby, their families and their communities leaving them in a state of desperation.
There is a lack of information as to options and sadly, people meant to help those in crisis pregnancy often shame them instead. Not everyone provides unbiased counselling as they do not believe in abortion or adoption; the result sometimes being unsafe abandonment. We call on our government to pass safe haven laws and provide safe relinquishment options, like baby savers, to put a stop to babies dying through unsafe abandonment.”
Cape Times