Aunt in custody for attack on toddler

The police arrested a 41-year-old suspect, Ivy Mulaudzi of Maila, after she had allegedly attempted to kill a two-year-old girl at Ha-Maila.

The woman’s reasons for allegedly committing such an awful act are not yet clear, but police investigations continue. The incident happened last year at Ha-Maila. In September, Mulaudzi allegedly requested the blind mother of the child, Veronica Khoza, to take the girl, Katlego (2), from Mufeba to her house at Maila. She apparently wanted the girl to play with her own child.

The two mothers agreed and the child was taken to Maila. According to Ms Khoza, they agreed that her aunt, Mulaudzi, would bring the child back home at the end of that month, but this did not happen. She said that she phoned her aunt and asked her when she planned on bringing the girl back home. Khoza said that her aunt told her that the child would be returned in October.

At the end of October, Ms Khoza again requested that Katlego be brought to Elim, but this did not happen. “Shortly after this, I was shocked when a home-based caregiver from Maila village contacted me and told me my daughter had sustained serious injuries,” the blind mother said.

She said she and her brother then went to Maila village where they found Katlego with serious wounds to her head and leg. “The wounds looked like flesh had been cut off her. The wound on her leg was stuffed with muti that was black in colour, and banana peels. I don’t know why," she said.

According to Ms Khoza, the skull of her young girl was visible and there were worms in the wound. She said when she questioned her aunt about what had occurred, her aunt gave three versions of what had happened. “First she said that Katlego had fallen from a pile of wood and been hurt. Then she said she had fallen off some bricks that were stacked up. Then she said she (Mulaudzi) had seen a snake and when she wanted to kill it with a brick, she missed and hit Katlego on the head by mistake. She further said Katlego was recovering slowly in hospital, but would need to have skin transplants to heal completely and was tranferred from Elim hospital to Garankuwa."

Const Irene Radzilani from the Makhado SAPS said Mulaudzi had been arrested and appeared in the Tshitale Magistrate’s Court on 4 December last year. “The case was postponed to February 19 for a formal bail application and the suspect remains in custody,” Radzilani said.

Date:23 January 2015

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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