A 21-year-old woman has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for killing her newborn baby.
She has an older child, the Mtubatuba regional court heard. She is not being named to protect the minor’s identity.
KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the woman from the Mtubatuba district was heavily pregnant in August 2024.
She was seen visiting an outside pit toilet several times. Her mother noticed she was bleeding and asked if she was OK. She dismissed her mother’s concern, but her mother arranged for her to be taken to hospital.
“While the accused was in hospital, her family members heard noises coming from the pit toilet area but assumed it was a pet outside.
“The hospital contacted the accused’s family and asked them to look around the house to establish where the accused had left the baby, as the infant was not at the hospital.
“The family broke into the pit toilet and found the baby inside.”
Prosecutor Sphelele Precious Mdluli led the evidence of a pathologist who said the baby was full-term and alive before being thrown into the toilet.
TimesLIVE
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