Teen mom (17) charged with murder of son

LIMPOPO – ‘I know, nothe ni dovha ngau ita dzi jokes school but a hu tshena hune na dzo dzi wana hone. Y’all gonna miss me for what I did, I hope vheiwe nothe ni do zama mpfarela and mbilu yanda I khou havha badi for what I did to my baby boy. RIP Ronewa ndo hatula vhutshiloha nwananga just to prove lovekha muthu asina ndavha na nne.”

Loosely translated as ‘I know you are all going to make jokes about it at school but there is nothing that I can do. You are all going to miss me. Please try to forgive me for what I did to my baby boy, my heart is painful. I took my son’s life just to prove love to someone who doesn’t care about me’ – a post on social media on what is believed to be that of a teenage mother of Mphego village who stands accused of murder.

The teenager (17), who stands accused of murdering her two-year-old son and dumping his body in a pit toilet, was arrested on April 15.

Police spokesperson, Lt Col Malesela Ledwaba, confirmed the arrest.

“A case of murder was opened by the Thohoyandou police and is being investigated by the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit), considering the sensitivity of the case and the fact that the Child Justice Act relates as the case involves a minor,” said Ledwaba.

According to a reliable source, whose identity is withheld, the teenage mom fell pregnant at 14 and stayed with the father of their son until the relationship recently went sour.

The source said that during the March school holiday, she picked up the child from his father but by the time the holiday was over and the father wanted to know where the child was, the accused started giving him the runaround.

“The girl first said the child was with the maternal grandmother, and later said he was with relatives in Gauteng. That’s when the boy’s father decided to call the police.”

According to the source, the teenage mom confessed to having murdered her son on March 18, before throwing the body into a pit toilet near hardware store at Mphego village.

“It is rumoured that the girl is eight months pregnant by a new boyfriend and that this man had told her that he doesn’t want her with the child,” the source alleges.

A representative of the local Sanco branch, Azwitamisi Masala, said villagers felt ashamed after learning of the incident.

“This incident has stripped us of our dignity. We are all shocked that something like this could happen in our village. For now, we are trying to comfort the grieving family in every way we can.”.

Messie Raphalalani, the founder of Stop the Spot, an organisation that advocates for women’s and children’s rights, described the event as both tragic and disturbing.

“The fact that a young mother would take the life of her child for the sake of pleasing a new boyfriend is unfathomable. It highlights the importance of addressing issues related to mental health, healthy relationships, and responsible parenting. The mother’s actions are inexcusable and justice must be served for the innocent life that was lost. It is also important to consider the long-term consequences for the mother and to provide support and resources for her to address any underlying issues and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.”