A disturbing video showing a toddler being instructed to smoke from a glass pipe has sparked widespread condemnation and led to the arrest of three adults, including the child's own mother.
The footage, which quickly circulated on social media, shows the three-year-old boy lighting what appears to be a drug-laced pipe while adults off-camera egg him on. He is seen taking multiple puffs as laughter can be heard in the background.
Law enforcement officials confirmed on Wednesday that two men and the mother of the child, aged between 28 and 36, were taken into custody and are facing charges of child abuse. The trio is expected to appear before the Johannesburg Regional Court on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the Johannesburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences FCS Unit sprang into action shortly after midnight. The child was reportedly brought into the Sophiatown police station by his grandmother and officers from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.
Officers then tracked down the mother and her two accomplices, who were escorted to the station and immediately detained, as reported by the Sowetan Live .