Mom allegedly gives birth in toilet, kills baby

The Department of Health in Limpopo is saddened and outraged by an incident in which a woman allegedly gave birth to a baby girl inside a public toilet at a mall before gruesomely killing her.

The incident apparently happened on Monday at the Masingita Mall in Malamulele. The MEC for Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, said that the woman had allegedly hidden her pregnancy from her family, delivered the baby herself in the toilet at a mall in Malamulele and thereafter killed the newborn. She said that a general worker at the mall had called for help upon witnessing part of the incident. Emergency medical services arrived on the scene and tried to take the newborn to hospital, but unfortunately the baby died before she could reach the hospital.

Ramathuba said that her department would deploy mental-health-care practitioners to work with the SAPS in addressing this challenge. “This is truly heart wrenching. Equally, the gruesome manner in which the newborn was allegedly killed is outrageous. As a department, we cannot rule out mental issues. I mean, for a woman to hide her pregnancy until she delivers on a full term and thereafter kill the child cannot be normal behaviour,” she said.

The police’s spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, confirmed that a 30-year-old suspect was arrested for allegedly killing her baby in a bathroom at Malamulele on Monday.

He said that the woman had apparently arrived at Kunjani clinic at about 08:00, accompanied by her mother. She had allegedly gone to the clinic to consult and find out why her tummy was growing big. The woman was allegedly denying that she was pregnant.

Whilst waiting for a consultation, she allegedly indicated to her mother that she wanted to go to the bathroom at the adjacent Masingita Mall. The suspect reportedly gave birth to a baby girl on her own and started brutally assaulting her. The baby’s cries alerted the cleaners, who immediately rushed to the bathroom and discovered the gruesome incident.

The police were notified and rushed to the scene. Both the suspect and her badly injured baby were taken to the local hospital, but the latter was transferred to Mankweng Hospital, where she died. The woman was later discharged from the hospital and was immediately arrested on a charge of attempted murder. The charge has since been changed to murder.

The provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, strongly condemned this gruesome incident and said nothing could justify what the suspect had allegedly done. She was scheduled to appear in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (30 June.)

Date:01 July 2021

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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