By Clayton Barnes

Child rights groups and the parents of the Rawsonville toddler who was suffocated to death have called for a ban on television programmes promoting violence.

This comes after a two-year-old Rumarco Arries was kicked, punched, thrown to the ground and suffocated with a belt, allegedly by a 14-year-old imitating wrestling.

The teenager, being held in a place of safety, is believed to have been a fan of wrestling TV programme WWE Smackdown, and performed wrestling moves on Rumarco at their home on Deo Gloria Farm in Rawsonville on April 1.

Little Rumarco's battered body was found under a heap of blankets in the house.

Police are still investigating how Rumarco died, but the boy's father, Riaan Williams, says he believed the teen had been wrestling with his son.

Speaking to Weekend Argus, Williams said the 14-year-old "loved watching wrestling".

He said the teen collected Rumarco every morning to take him to his day mother on a neighbouring farm.

But it is believed the teenager took Rumarco back to their farmhouse after his parents had gone to work and allegedly suffocated him before kicking him and throwing him to the ground three times.

"We know this because the 14-year-old's sister, who is six, is a witness in the case and told us how Rumarco was thrown to the ground like wrestlers did in WWE Smackdown," said Williams, who works on the farm.

"We are angry and very upset. If wrestling is not banned from TV, more children are going to get killed. These children here have nothing else to do; all they watch is wrestling every Wednesday and Sunday."

Williams said he knew of a few children who had had their arms and legs broken trying to imitate WWE wrestlers.

Rumarco was buried in a graveyard near their home on Sunday.

His mother, Moneen Arries, 22, a farm worker in De Doorns, said she could still not believe her baby was gone.

"I don't know why he did it. Rumarco was very fond of him and called him Boeta (brother). They always played together but I never thought he would kill him."

Police spokesperson Superintendent Andre Traut said a murder case was being investigated against the boy.

The 14-year-old boy, in Grade 5, appeared in the Rawsonville magistrate's court briefly on Friday. The case was postponed to April 29.

Child rights groups have slammed the WWE shows as anti-social and dangerous.

Spokeswoman for the Children's Rights Centre, Noreen Ramsden, said violent television programmes were especially harmful to children showing signs of aggression.

"Children see fighting and other violent acts on television and often try to act them out," she said.

"This could result in serious injury or even death.

"I hope this incident is a wake-up call to parents who leave children watching television unattended. Parents need to be educated and not allow their children to watch violent TV shows or play violent games."

But e.tv, the station that broadcasts WWE wrestling, says banning these shows was not the answer.

Spokesperson Vasili Vass appealed for parents to be more involved with their children's television viewing habits.

"It is important for parents to watch television with their children to help them understand the meaning and reality of what they are watching," he said.

"Also, children should not be allowed to view violent television until they can understand the difference between fiction and reality.

"If we start to ban wrestling shows, where are we going to draw the line? Children have been injured imitating Superman and children's cartoons."

Vass said WWE wrestling shows had a rating of PG 10 V.

"This appears on screen throughout the show."

There are also warnings throughout the show, indicating that wrestling moves should not be imitated as they were "extremely dangerous".

Thousands of Wrestle Mania and WWE figurines are sold in shops across the country every month in an industry said to be worth over $1-billion.

Hamilton Chisale of CNA's toy division said the branded superhero and WWE figurine market was "huge" in South Africa.

The WWE shows on television encouraged sales, and on average about 200 branded figurines were sold at each of their stores a week, he said.

At the Toys R Us Mega Store in Bellville, the stock of all WWE, Spiderman and Batman figurines was sold out.

Dorian Bougardd of the store's customer care department, said shelves were emptied minutes after they restocked.

He said the figurines were so popular the store had a waiting list for people who had placed orders for them.