An 18-year-old teenager made his first appearance at the Vereeniging Magistrate's Court after he was arrested and charged with his three-year-old brother's murder. The teenager was allegedly caught by his 16-year-old brother throwing the lifeless body of the toddler inside a dustbin.

MURDERED BOY THOUGHT TO BE PLAYING 

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said that reports suggest that on the 31 January 2025, at around 11:00, the deceased'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 an immediate alarm. However, by 13:00, when the child had still not returned, she started searching for him," said Mahanjana.

BUST BY BROTHER

Mahanjana said as the mother continued to tirelessly search for her three-year-old, her 16-year-old son went to a nearby veld near the N1 highway where the goats were grazing. "It was then that he saw the accused placing the child's body inside a dustbin. After confronting him, the brother took the dustbin containing the child's body to their home and informed their mother," said Mahanjana. She said emergency services were called but the child was declared dead on 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."