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

28 May 2021 - 07:41 By Alex Patrick
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
An Eastern Cape woman received 17 years' imprisonment after she beat a toddler 'for spilling water on the floor during bath time'. The child died of her injuries later that night.
An Eastern Cape woman received 17 years' imprisonment after she beat a toddler 'for spilling water on the floor during bath time'. The child died of her injuries later that night.
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. 

TimesLIVE


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now