A Randfontein mother has spent the night behind bars for allegedly burning her two children‚ aged five and seven‚ with an iron‚ West Rand police said on Wednesday.

"We found that this was all because the children ate her KFC. She had looked for it and the kids said they ate it and she burnt them on the hands and thighs with the iron‚" said Sgt Carmen Hendricks.

The horrific incident was first uncovered by the teacher of the children as they returned to school on the first day of the new term on Tuesday.

She noticed the children's burnt hands and called their stepfather to the school.

He arrived and clarified that he had separated from the children's 27-year-old mother.

"Upon his arrival [the stepfather] spoke to the teacher who informed him that the children do not cope at school and are very scared. It was said that the mother burnt the children with an iron during the school holidays. The children‚ who were staying with the mother at that time‚ could not talk to anyone until they got to school‚" Hendricks said.

The children were handed over to social workers while their mother was taken in for questioning.

Hendricks said while the woman was yet to be charged‚ she would most likely face a charge of child abuse and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The teacher revealed that this was unfortunately not the first time she had noticed injuries on the children.

"They said they had previously spoken to the mother about this‚" said Hendricks.