eMbalenhle woman suspected of strangling her baby released on bail
Her other two children, ages six and two, have been taken to a place of safety.
A woman suspected of killing her newborn baby was granted bail of R1 000 on March 7. The woman (36) from eMbalenhle applied for bail in the Evander Magistrate’s Court.
She is accused of strangling her newborn baby girl to death after giving birth on the night of February 16. The woman allegedly went to the toilet in the middle of the night, where she birthed the infant in a bucket. When the baby began to cry, the mother allegedly strangled her.
According to police information, the new mother was unable to dispose of the bucket during the night and went back to her room, where she allegedly put the body in a fridge.
She shares a rented room with her two minor children in Ext 22 eMbalenhle. The police arrested the woman on February 17, after a neighbour went to check up on her heavily pregnant woman.
The neighbour discovered what had transpired throughout the night and reported it to the landlord, who in turn phoned the police.
The state and the investigating officer opposed the bail, citing that her release may disturb the public peace. Community members from eMbalenhle attended the bail hearing in numbers.
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The state also argues that the woman is a flight risk and may evade trial because if found guilty, she will get a lengthy sentence.
She is originally from the Eastern Cape and she came to eMbalenhle to seek employment. The state also considered the safety of her two other children, aged six and two.
The prosecutor said the community is outraged because of numerous bodies of babies that have been found dumped in eMbalenhle in the past.
The state also claim that the landlord has kicked the woman out. When delivering the judgement, the magistrate said there is no doubt that a violent crime was committed and it is rests upon the shoulders of the accused to satisfy the court that she is a suitable candidate to be release on bail.
The magistrate said the woman’s two other children have been moved to a place of safety, and that there is no evidence that she will evade trial. She doesn’t have pending cases or previous convictions.
The woman was released on condition that she reports to eMbalenhle Police Station every Monday between 06:00 and 18:00. She also has to inform the investigating officer if she wants to leave the Govan Mbeki Municipality jurisdiction.
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She is not to interfere with the witnesses and must reside at an alternative address she provided until her case is concluded.
The case was postponed to April 25 for further investigation.
*Another woman (30) from eMbalenhle is awaiting a trial date in the Delmas High Court after the body of a baby was discovered in a cooler bag the woman had been carrying with her while visiting the Evander Hospital.
This woman allegedly gave birth to a boy in May 2022. When she realised that he was not breathing, she allegedly wrapped the child in a plastic bag and stored the body in her fridge.
According to the police, the woman allegedly placed the body in a cooler bag and went to the hospital on October 3, where she sat in the waiting room for two days until the child’s father arrived.
The father demanded to see the file opened for his child but to no avail. He was apparently convinced that his girlfriend had given birth at the hospital and that is when the nurses found out about the dead baby in the cooler bag.
Medical personnel certified that the child was dead and the baby had been dead for four months. The woman was arrested on October 5, 2022, and charged with murder.
She appeared in the dock of the Evander Magistrate’s Court on October 10, 2022 and was released on warning.
NOTE: The names of these women have been withheld to protect their other children.
