By Malebo Debeila
A 23-year-old Zimbabwean woman had been arrested for murder after allegedly drowning her newborn baby in a bucket of water on Friday.
According to Ivory Park SAPS spokesman, W/O Neldah Sekgobela, the police found the dead child in a river at Kaalfontein Extension next to Ivory Park at around 11am.
“Members of the community who knew she was heavily pregnant, became suspicious when they realised she was no longer pregnant and there was no sign of the baby. We confronted the woman who then confessed she gave birth to a healthy baby on Wednesday night last week. She said she drowned the baby in a bucket,” Sekgobela said.
Sekgobela added that the suspect told police that she threw the baby into the river at Umfuyaneni Section in Tembisa.
“She said she committed the crime as she could not afford to support the baby. According to her boyfriend, the suspect was nine months pregnant.”
According to her boyfriend, the suspect did not inform him about the incident. He said he only noticed that the woman was no longer pregnant a day after she gave birth, and added that when he inquired, she did not respond. Police were called and she was arrested.
Police are waiting for DNA tests that will be conducted soon. The suspect had been detained at the Ivory Park police cells.
