A former Mpumalanga police officer who filmed herself performing disturbing sexual acts on her 12-year-old son to appease a sangoma—and later found herself blackmailed over the footage—will spend an effective eight years in jail after she was sentenced in the Middelburg High Court.
The disgraced officer, who served at Groblersdal police station, was on Wednesday sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for a series of offences committed in 2020. Her name is withheld to protect the identity and dignity of the child.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the 42-year-old mother had been facing personal difficulties when she sought help from a traditional healer.
The court heard that the healer instructed her to bathe her son with “traditional medicine” and simulate “sexual intercourse” with him as part of a supposed ritual to remove evil spirits.
She was also ordered to record the act and send the video to the healer, who later used the footage to extort money from her.
The situation escalated in 2023 when the video surfaced on social media and a criminal case was opened.
At the time, the South African Police Service issued a strong warning to the public over possession of the video, alerting social media users that sharing child pornography was a serious crime.
The mother turned herself in and later entered a plea and sentence agreement with the state in terms of Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act.
Manipulation disguised as healing
She was convicted on three counts: sexual assault, production of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
On the first count, she received 10 years’ imprisonment, with two years suspended for five years on condition she does not commit a similar offence.
She received two years for production of child pornography, and two years for possession, though the latter will run concurrently with the assault sentence.
This leaves her with an effective eight years of direct imprisonment. She was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said the state had stressed the “seriousness and prevalence of such offences” and the “betrayal of trust between a mother and her child,” while prosecutors stressed the need to protect children from “sexual abuse and exploitation.”
“The National Prosecuting Authority remains steadfast in its commitment to combating domestic and sexual violence, particularly cases involving vulnerable victims, and will continue to pursue justice with diligence and compassion.”
The case has sent shockwaves throughout South Africa, highlighting once again how vulnerable families fall prey to manipulation disguised as healing.
