The baby bashing of Marzanne Kruger - Is nanny to blame?

The recent incident of the assault on one year old Marzanne Kruger and her nanny by robbers in Randburg, Johannesburg has touched all our hearts. It definitely rates as one of the most horrific crimes that I have heard of or read about. Even more heart breaking is to hear that the baby has had a tough fight for survival only to suffer blindness as a result of this senseless attack.

The nanny, Francina Sekhu has been dismissed by the Krugers and in retaliation, she is taking them to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) for unfair dismissal. The Krugers feel that when she let in one of the robbers (Chakhoma Machaba) into the house and watched TV with him that was a negligent act that enabled Machaba and his accomplices to gain access to the home, assault Sekhu and the baby, as well as steal the Kruger’s laptop and modem. It is a sad development at a time when all involved have more than enough on their plate, dealing with the trauma and assisting the legal process to bring those apprehended so far, to book.

The thorny point of argument lies in whether Sekhu deserves to be fired seeing as the man that she let into the house, was not a stranger, but was a familiar face that had recently worked on renovating the house. If during the time that he worked on the Kruger house, Machaba had befriended Sekhu, can it be said that she was negligent in allowing him into the house? Was there any telling that this man was a cold, heartless criminal capable of attempting to brutally snuff out the life of an innocent baby without even batting an eyelid? Is Sekhu the scapegoat of angry parents who need to vent out and blame someone for the terrible ordeal that their baby has had to endure, and which they also are dealing with? Are the Krugers heartless in forgetting that Sekhu was also severely assaulted?

Looking from the Kruger’s point of view, can they be expected to ever trust their child with a minder, especially one who goes by the name of Francina Sekhu? What working relationship can still exist at this point? Does Sekhu have the moral right to take legal action against the Krugers when they have not taken any against her for their pain which arguably is greater than hers?

Since the renovations at the house had been completed, should that not have been the end of any legitimate reason to allow Machaba into the house? If the visit was social, was Sekhu not negligent in entertaining social visits when at work? There are certainly many angles of viewing this sad case.

I would love to hear from you whether you feel that Sekhu deserves to be fired and whether she has a moral right to challenge her dismissal given what happened to little Marzanne while in her care.