Mother arrested for stabbing one-day-old baby to death
SOUTH AFRICA- A 26-year-old woman and her 43-year-old brother have been arrested by local police for the alleged murder of a one-day-old infant. The incident occurred at Lastehoop in Ga-Malatji on November 6, shortly after the baby was born at home.
According to Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, a police spokesperson, preliminary investigations indicated that the infant was fatally stabbed in the upper body with a sharp instrument. The mother and her brother were linked to the crime shortly after it took place.
“Our preliminary investigation established that the infant’s mother and her brother killed the baby after she was born at home,” Mashaba stated. The suspects are currently in custody and will soon appear in the Mankweng Magistrates Court as investigations continue.
The shocking incident has drawn widespread condemnation from community leaders. Ward 5 Councillor Legodi Kgala expressed his disbelief, stating, “The information we’re receiving is that the culprits do not reside in Ward 5. They committed this heinous crime and attempted to bury the deceased in their grandparents’ yard.”
Kgala further noted that the yard is not regularly occupied, and he lamented the incident as a tragic reflection on the community.
In light of this tragedy, Sandra Jansen van Rensburg from Ngwana House, a children’s shelter in Polokwane, urged young parents to seek help when facing difficult situations.
“These incidents can be avoided if people know the right channels to follow when they want to give up their kids,” she said.
