A mother has been arrested after allegedly doing the unthinkable, trying to kill her baby.
The 21-year-old woman, who lives in the Matiwaneskop area of Elandslaagte, was hanging out washing on Monday last week when she allegedly decided to throw her three-week-old baby into a bucket of water in an attempt to drown it. The baby began to cry, so she allegedly put it in a plastic packet to smother the sounds the helpless, frightened child was making.
It was then that she saw the child’s grandmother looking over her shoulder. The grandmother had returned early from a meeting and allegedly caught the mother in the act. Neighbours heard the ordeal and gathered around to find out what was going on. The baby was checked by paramedics and later by a doctor. The baby is fortunately in good health.
“What a despicable act! A mother carries her baby for nine months and then decides to kill it three weeks after it is born. What is going on in the person’s mind? We see things like this in movies, not realising that they actually happen right on our doorstep,” said an outraged community member.
The mother has been remanded into custody awaiting trial. She will appear in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court on Monday, December 2, on charges of attempted murder.
