The woman who has not been named appeared in the Mtubatuba Regional Court.
A 21-year-old KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) woman has been sentenced to twelve years in jail for the murder of her newborn baby.
The woman who has not been named appeared in the Mtubatuba Regional Court last week.
Sentence
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the incident occurred in August 2024 in the Hluhluwe area of KZN.
“In sentencing the woman, the court deviated from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment, taking into consideration the age of the accused and the fact that she has a minor child.”
Ramkisson-Kara said during court proceedings, state prosecutor Sphelele Precious Mdluli led the evidence of the accused’s mother, and the South African Police Service (Saps) officials who had attended to the scene.
“The pathologist confirmed that the baby was full-term and had lived before being thrown into the toilet. The accused was convicted and sentenced accordingly.”
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Murder
Ramkisson-Kara explained what happened on the day the woman committed the crime.
“The accused was pregnant, and on the day of the incident, she had visited the outside pit toilet several times. At some stage, her mother noticed that she (the accused) was bleeding and asked her if she was ok.”
Ramkisson-Kara added that the woman, however, dismissed her mother’s concerns.
“Her mother then arranged for her to be taken to the hospital. While the accused was in the hospital, her family members heard noises coming from the pit toilet area, but they assumed that it was one of the pets outside.
“The hospital then contacted the accused’s family, asking them to look around the house to establish where the accused had left the baby, as the baby was not at the hospital. The family broke down the pit toilet and found the baby inside,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
Crime
The NPA said it hopes that sentences of this nature will deter people who intend to commit similar crimes.
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