Toddler beaten to death for 'spilling water': Long jail time for 'auntie'
Child had been left in couple's care while mother worked in Cape Town
Image: STOCKSTUDIO44/123RF
An Eastern Cape woman who beat a 19-month-old baby to death for spilling water on the floor during bath time, has been given 17-year jail sentence.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Ncedeni Qwabe, 49, assaulted toddler Qhamokuhle Ndziba with a peach tree stick on July 27 last year.
At the time Qwabe was romantically involved with the little girl's uncle and the couple were taking care of her at their home in Keiskammahoek while her mother was at work in Cape Town.
At her trial at Bhisho High Court, the woman claimed she only hit the child lightly with a cloth, but under cross-examination she revealed the child was beaten with a stick.
According to the NPA, the toddler died that evening due to internal injuries and blood loss.
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