A video showing a toddler being forced to smoke what appears to be drugs has led to the arrest of three adults in Johannesburg, including the child’s mother.

According to Gauteng SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Brenda Muridili, officers from the province’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit responded to an urgent call from Sophiatown Police Station just after midnight.

This is after the child’s grandmother brought the three-year-old to the station with the assistance of Johannesburg Metro Police.

In the footage, the toddler is seen being encouraged to light a pipe. He was then encouraged to inhale from it, which he did twice.

“Three people, the mother and two men, were immediately detained as they were brought to the police station by JMPD.”

The suspects, aged between 28 and 36, face charges of child abuse under the Domestic Violence Act.

“They will appear before the Johannesburg Regional Court on 31 July 2025,” said Muridili.

The child was taken to the hospital for medical assessment and has since been placed in a place of safety.

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