The Knuckleheads of the Day award

Today's winners are Hanelie Botha and Engeline de Nysschen. Both these South African women get today's award for their parts in the death of Jandre Botha, Haneile's son. The four-year-old boy was beaten to death by Ms. de Nysschen because he refused to call her Daddy. Ms. Botha then tried to cover up her girlfriend's crime.

Absolutely despicable is all I have to say. It has nothing to do with either woman's sexual orientation, Its about beating a child to death and do nothing about it. These women are sick, knucklehead doesn't do them justice. I just hope the South African legal system sentences them appropriately for their crimes.

For failing to protect her child and beating one to death, Haneile Botha and Engeline de Nysschen are today's Knuckleheads of the day.

Hat tip- Don Surber,
Open Post- Jo's Cafe, Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, Cao's Blog, Third World County, Blue Star,

Four-year-old Jandre Botha disobeyed an order to call his mother's lesbian lover "Daddy''.

So the lover, Engeline de Nysschen (33), viciously assaulted Jandre while demanding that he must call her "Daddy".

Jandre died from his injuries, which trauma expert Professor Mohammed Dada said were similar to those of a person who had fallen from a double-storey building.

Yesterday Vereeniging Regional Court magistrate Rita Willemse found De Nysschen and the mother, Hanelie Botha (31) - who did nothing to protect her child - guilty of murder.

Jandre's father, Jan Botha, sat in court holding the hands of his fiancée, Yolanda Deysel, and listened attentively to Willemse, who, in her judgment, accepted evidence that among the reasons that led to Jandre's brutal ordeal was his refusal to call De Nysschen "Daddy".

The court had heard evidence from Lydia Nkomo and her daughter Aletta Lesiba, who worked for the couple in their tuckshop, that De Nysschen had viciously assaulted Jandre while demanding that he must call her "Daddy".

Both testified that while Jandre was assaulted, his mother failed to intervene or protect him. Evidence showed he had sustained horrific injuries, including a fractured skull and brain damage, as well as broken legs, collarbone, hands and pelvis.

Delivering judgment, Willemse acknowledged there was no substantial evidence linking Hanelie Botha to the assaults, but said she was equally guilty of murder for failing in her legal duty to protect her child against abuse and violation.

The court found she had lied to Dr Elna Gibson, one of the medical doctors who treated Jandre, by saying the boy got his injuries after he had slipped in the bath.

The court ruled that she had lied to protect De Nysschen. The doctors who had examined Jandre dismissed the pair's version that he had slipped in the bath. They said excessive force was required to inflict the kind of fatal injuries sustained by Jandre.

Convicting the two, Willemse dismissed their version and said there was substantial medical evidence before her about the nature of the injuries suffered by Jandre.

Cross posted to Bullwinkle Blog