A Cigarette Burn and a Fractured Skull: Hout Bay Confronts an Unthinkable Crime

In the quiet pre-dawn hours of Sunday in Hout Bay, a baby’s cry filled a bungalow in Die Sloot. It was a sound that should have summoned comfort, a bottle, a gentle rock. Instead, the state alleges it triggered a burst of violence so brutal it has left a community reeling and a two-month-old boy fighting for his life in the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.

The details, laid bare in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, are the stuff of nightmares. A 21-year-old father, who cannot be named to protect his infant son, stands accused of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The charge stems from an alleged attack so severe that doctors believe the infant may have suffered a fractured skull.

The Alleged Attack: A Night of Horror

According to the state’s account, the scene unfolded around 3 a.m. The infant’s crying caused the young father to become “frustrated.” He allegedly took the baby from his mother and began an assault, hitting the two-month-old on the back and bum.

The mother, the court heard, took the child back and put him to sleep. But the horror was not over. When she woke in the morning, she discovered her son had been burned. The state alleges the burn was caused by a cigarette.

As these details were read aloud, the courtroom gasped. The paternal grandmother and the baby’s mother could be heard crying in the public gallery, their sobs a stark counterpoint to the cold, legal language describing the infant’s injuries.

A Family Torn Apart, Calling for Justice

Outside the courtroom, the infant’s maternal family stood united in their grief and their demand for accountability. The mother’s cousin, Nolan Williams, accompanied by the baby’s great-grandfather, Isaac Williams, spoke to the press.

Their description of the injuries was even more harrowing. “He was beaten on the bum, he was burnt with a cigarette in the face, and he has a knob at the back of his head,” Nolan Williams said. “The doctors have said… he has possible skull injuries, a fractured skull.”

His words captured the surreal pain of the situation. “These things you see on social media, but when it happens to your own family, it is a different feeling and experience.” In a remarkable display of complexity, he added, “He is not a bad person; he grew up in front of me.” It was a sentiment that spoke to a family tragedy on all sides, even as they firmly declared, “We want justice; what he did was wrong.”

A Community’s Outrage and a Swift Response

The Hout Bay Community Policing Forum (CPF) issued a statement expressing it was “deeply shocked and outraged by the incident.” They confirmed that the South African Police Service acted swiftly, arresting the father on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed the arrest, noting the incident took place in a Die Sloot bungalow. He also revealed that the initial charge police are investigating is attempted murder, indicating the seriousness with which they are treating the case. The matter is now in the hands of the specialized Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.

The accused, who appeared emotional upon seeing his family in court, will be represented by a legal aid lawyer. The case has been postponed to November 19 for further investigation, including an additional statement from the infant’s mother and the gathering of bail information.

For now, a family is shattered, a community is in mourning, and a two-month-old boy lies in a hospital bed, his tiny body bearing the evidence of a violence that is, for most, unthinkable.