A 16-year-old girl was arrested in connection with the murder of her two-week-old baby in Cunnimore, Mpumalanga, last week Thursday.

The police provincial spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the baby’s grandmother, who lived in the same house as the mother and baby, discovered that her great-grandchild had gone missing on Thursday morning.

“The grandmother searched for the baby but couldn’t find her. She also asked the her granddaughter about the child’s whereabouts, but she apparently refused to speak. The grandmother reported the matter to the police who, upon arrival, questioned the baby’s mother. She confessed to killing her baby and stuffing her body in a school bag,” he said.

Mohlala also said she led the police to one of the rooms in her parents’ house where she had hidden the bag.

The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, described the incident as tragic and unfortunate. She advised young mothers to seek assistance from relevant organisations to lessen the burden in order prevent such tragic incidents.