Three of the four children, aged between five and nine, who were killed allegedly by their father were found with nails behind their ears.
The head of the fourth child, 3, had caved in after she was bludgeoned to death allegedly with a blunt object.
The shocking revelations emerged on Wednesday in the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane, where their mother Sylvia Monyela was cross-examined.
For more on this story, visit SowetanLIVE.