A three year old boy being given drugs to smoke

Three suspects, including a mother and two men aged between 28 and 36, have been arrested after a video went viral showing a three year old boy being given drugs to smoke.

According to the South African Police Services (SAPS), the arrests were made after the Gauteng Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit received a report from Sophiatown police station about the incidents. The child was brought to the police station by members of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and his grandmother.

"The child was caught on video being given what appeared to be drugs and given the drugs to smoke. FCS Unit Commander in Johannesburg Lieutenant Colonel Marema Mogale and his colleagues responded quickly to the report they received around midnight. The three individuals, a mother and two men, were quickly arrested when they were brought to the police station by JMPD," police said in a statement. The boy, 3, was reportedly taken to hospital for medical attention and taken to a safe place. Meanwhile, the three will be charged with child abuse under domestic violence and will appear in the Johannesburg Regional Court on Thursday, 31 July 2025.