The family of Joshua Petersen , the Mariannhill schoolboy left paralysed after a stabbing incident at Westridge High School in Durban, was wheeled out of court in shock and despair on Wednesday after the perpetrator was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
The child offender accused of attempted murder received the sentence to be served at the Ekuseni Youth Correctional Centre in Newcastle.
The Family’s Reaction
Outside the Durban Regional Court, Joshua’s parents, Trevor and Bernadette Petersen , struggled to contain their grief and anger.
“The law has done us down. My son is permanently like this, for life, and they’ve given the culprit a five-year sentence. It’s like they are saying, go and do this again after five years,” Trevor said.
He spoke of the unbearable daily pain his son endures. “We don’t know the pain he is in every day that he is supposed to be walking and living like a normal 18-year-old. He is bedridden for life.”
Bernadette began sobbing uncontrollably as she shared the news. “I’m extremely upset. My son doesn’t have only five years in a wheelchair; he has the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and five years is just not enough. The law has no justice at all.”
The Grandmother’s Grief
Joshua’s grandmother, Faith Ngcobo , was equally devastated.
“I’m not happy at all; five years is too little for what that boy did to Joshua. He cut his life short. How can a person get five years when a person is paralysed? He can’t even walk or help himself?”
“There is no justice in South Africa; this is not fair.”
The Incident
The incident happened on 29 January 2025 , leaving Joshua, a pupil at Westridge Secondary, paralysed from the neck downwards. He was stabbed twiceonce in the neck and once in the abdomen.
Dr Ramendhra Naidoo confirmed that Joshua is quadriplegic and will not regain the use of his four limbs.
Joshua’s Reaction
Joshua had overcome several mobility challenges to travel to court to face his attacker. Upon hearing the news, he stared out of the window, unable to find the words to express his feelings.
The Bottom Line
A boy is paralysed for life. His attacker got five years.
The family says the law has failed them. “They’ve stabbed us again,” they say.
And Joshua, now 18, faces a lifetime in a wheelchairwhile his attacker will be free in five years.
