A man arrested for allegedly killing his five month-old nephew with a spade in Kgakala Township in the North West was denied bail by the Leeudoringstad Magistrates Court on Tuesday. The state successfully opposed Lazarus Hambone’s bail application and the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) said in a statement that among other factors, Hambone is a parolee on a murder charge that he committed in 2011.
The 38-year old Hambone was released on parole in May last year. According to police reports, a 16-year-old mother was carrying the baby on her back when Hambone attacked her with a spade after an argument at their home.
The baby was rushed to Tshepong hospital where he allegedly died due to his head injuries. NPA provincial spokesperson Henry Mamothame says the accused will remain in custody until the matter is concluded and he is expected to appear before court again on 17 January 2023.
According to the latest crime statistics released by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Wednesday, 28 children were killed between July and September this year bringing the total number to 315 , which is a 9.8% increase compared to 287 in the same period last financial year.
North West alone reported a 6.5% increase in murder cases. Cele said the recent crime figures showed that aggression and violence were at worrying levels in South Africa.
The DA leader John Steenhuisen has called on Cele to vacate his office because the high crime stats are a confirmation that he is failing the country. He says under Cele the crime is out of control with millions of people living in fear.
“Since President Cyril Ramaphosa and Cele took office in 2018 murder has increased in Quarter 2 by 26% from 5554 in Q2 2018/19 to 7004 in Q2 2022/23. The crime stats reveal that every day between July and September 2022: 76 people were murdered: 115 people were raped: 448 people were assaulted with grievous bodily harm and 383 serious robberies occurred,” reads the DA statement.