Girl (3) killed by mother

WHEN a mother claimed her three-year-old daughter had been kidnapped, villagers and the police in Mulodi village near Mutale started a frantic search.

Last Wednesday night the 32-year-old mother, Lutendo Khorommbi, claimed that while she had gone to relieve herself at a pit toilet outside her one-roomed house, her little girl had been snatched.

Mutale police spokesperson, WO Tshillidzi Nyambeni said the mother alerted the police and residents to search for her missing daughter, Sancy. Khorommbi also took part in the search.

“We opened a missing person’s case the next day (last Thursday).

“At around 11:30, some residents who were still searching, found the missing girl’s body wrapped in a blanket and some plastic. The child’s body was in a deep donga, just 30 metres away from her mother’s house,” Nyambeni said.

He said while police were questioning the mother, she admitted that she had killed her daughter.

“She told the police that she had not intended to kill her. She said she had asked little Sancy why her other child, who is 12 months old, was crying. When Sancy could not give her an answer, she hit her daughter who fell down and died. The mother said she was afraid of the police and other residents should they find out, which was why she decided to cover up the death,” Nyambeni explained.

Khorommbi was arrested and appeared briefly in court last week for the murder. Her case was postponed to February 23 for her to apply for legal aid. She will remain in custody and was told she could apply for bail during her next appearance.

One of the residents who found Sancy’s body, Jerry Masevhe, said he was still upset over the incident, and could still not believe what had happened. “We demand that she should not be granted bail. We want her to rot in jail,” he said.

ANC Women’s League chairperson of the Vhembe region, Florence Radzilani, said she was horrified to hear of what had occurred.

“We want to call on all women who have family problems to consult the social workers so that they can get help in resolving their problems,” Radzilani said.