A 29-year-old woman appeared in the Giyani magistrate’s court on Thursday for the murder of her 10-month-old baby girl.
Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the suspect, who is a landlord at Giyani Section F, left her house to visit a boyfriend on August 19 after tenants enquired about the whereabouts of one of her children.
The tenants, according to Ledwaba, later made a gruesome discovery of the 10-month-old baby’s body.
“They became suspicious and on August 21 they looked around the yard and noticed a shallow grave,” said Malesela.
“Community members gathered at the house in her absence and police were notified. The police immediately followed leads and traced the woman.”
Ledwaba said the 29-year-old mother pointed out the grave that she dug up.
“She was taken to her house where she pointed a shallow grave in which she buried her daughter who was allegedly battling disabilities.
“It is alleged that she indicated that her daughter died following a sickness, and she decided to bury her alone since she did not have a birth certificate.
“The child’s body was exhumed and the suspect was arrested,” said Ledwaba.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe condemned the attack and said a postmortem will determine the actual cause of death.
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